SPORTS REPORT KARACHI (November 9, 2020):-Sindh batsman Asad Shafiq has been fined 20 per cent match fee for a level 1 offence relating to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during his side’s first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Northern at the UBL Sports Complex. The incident happened on Sunday (third day of the match) when Asad showed obvious disappointment and verbally questioned the umpiring decision when he was given out LBW in the 15th over of Sindh’s second innings. Asad was reported by on-field umpires Faisal Afridi and Saqib Khan at the end of third day’s play for violating article 2.8 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player support Personnel. Asad accepted the charge and the sanction handed out by match referee Mohammad Anees hence there was no need of a formal hearing.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 8, 2020):-Hosts Mari Petroleum defeated Pakistan Army 2-1 in the 66th National Hockey Championship 2020 at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi on Sunday. National Bank of Punjab (NBP), Sui Southern, WAPDA and Pakistan Navy also posted victories in the top national hockey show piece after beating their respective opponents at same venue. Former Director General Mari Petroleum Lt. General (Retd) Ishfaq Nadeem and Lt. General (Retd) Asghar Nawaz graced the 4th match of the day as chief gust in which Mari Petroleum outclassed Pakistan Army 2-1 in the well-contested 60 minutes game. At this occasion former international players Manzoor Hussain Junior, Ayaz Mehmood, Nasir Ali, Waseem Feroz and Rana Mujahid were also present. Results (Day-3): Game-1: NBP beat Punjab 2-1 Aamir Ali and Mohammad Abu Bakar scored each goal for NBP while Hanan Ali netted the ball for Punjab. Game-2: Sui Southern outclass Pakistan Police 9-0 Ahmed Nadeem (3), Mubashir Ali (2), Ali Shan (2) Mohammad Rizwan (1), Mohammad Zeeshan (1) Game-3: WAPDA overcome Port Qasim 6-0 Aleem Bilal (3), Rana Waheed (1), Sohail Anjum (1), Amjad Ali (1) Game-4: Mari Petroleum defeat Pakistan Army 2-1 Umair Sattar (2) for Mari Petroleum, Mohammad Arsalan (1) Game-5: Pakistan Navy stun Pakistan Air Force 3-0 Babar Hussain (1), Hammad Ali (1), Numan Janjua (1)   

SPORTS REPORT KARACHI (November 8, 2020):-Southern Punjab trounced Central Punjab by nine wickets while Sindh were nearing a win over Balochistan at the end of the second day’s play in the fifth-round matches of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy three-day tournament for Second XIs being played in Karachi. Central Punjab v Southern Punjab, TMC Ground, Karachi: Southern Punjab recorded a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Central Punjab. After gaining a 167-run first innings lead, Southern Punjab bowlers Ali Usman and Umar Khan who shared nine wickets between them (five for Usman, four for Umar) dismissed Central Punjab for 187 runs in their second innings. Ali Zaryab, Muhammad Akhlaq and Mohammad Irfan Khan contributed 45, 43 and 41 runs, respectively  for Central Punjab but couldn’t provide any sustained resistance. Set a 21-run target, Southern Punjab finished the game off in four overs for the loss of one wicket. Earlier in the day, Southern Punjab who resumed their first innings at the overnight score of 154 for six managed to add another 110 runs courtesy Rameez Alam’s unbeaten 77-run knock. Rameez found good support in Zia-ul-Haq who made 40 runs. Kamran Afzal finished with four wickets for 75 runs. Balochistan vs Sindh, KCCA Stadium, Karachi: Resuming at the overnight first innings score of 82 for seven, Balochistan lost their last three wickets for the addition of 14 runs only as they were bowled out for 96 in 43.4 overs. Taimur Khan was dismissed on Sunday morning for 33 runs; Abrar Ahmed took five wickets for 36 while Aamir Ali took three for 35. Sindh who had gained 25-run first innings lead were bowled out for 188 in their second innings with Hasan Mohsin top scoring with 51. Jalat Khan took five wickets. Set at 214-run target, Balochistan finished the second day struggling at 34 for four, the spin twins Amir and Abrar took two wickets each. Balochistan require an additional 180 runs tomorrow with six wickets standing. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern, State Bank Stadium, Karachi: Northern who led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 34 runs in the first innings, reached 29 for one in their second innings to extend their lead to 63 runs with nine second innings wickets intact. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dismissed for 310 in their first innings, Sahibzada Farhan scored 105 with the help of 15 fours off 174 balls. Mehran Ibrahim (61) and Nabi Gul (53) scored fifties. Pacer Shadab Majeed took five wickets while Salman Irshad took three wickets for Northern. Scores in brief: Central Punjab v Southern Punjab, TMC Ground, Karachi Central Punjab 97 all out, 45.2 overs (Kamran Afzal 37; Umar Khan 4-16, Ali Usman 3-43, Ali Shafiq 2-11) and 187 all out, 53.2 overs (Ali Zaryab 45, Muhammad Akhlaq 43, Mohammad Irfan Khan 41; Ali Usman 5-84, Umar Khan 4-47) Southern Punjab 264 all out, 81.5 overs (Rameez Alam 77 not out, Tayyab Tahir 42, Zia-ul-Haq 40; Kamran Afzal 4-75, Atizaz Habib Khan 2-66) and 21-1, four overs. Result: Southern Punjab won by nine wickets Balochistan vs Sindh, KCCA Stadium, Karachi Sindh 121 all out, 53.2 overs (Fahad Iqbal 39; Mohammad Talha 4-24, Umaid Asif 3-21, Jalat Khan 3-51) and 188 all out, 57.2 overs (Hasan Mohsin 51, Fahad Iqbal 34; Jalat Khan 5-79) Balochistan 96 all out, 43.4 overs (Taimur Khan 33, Abdul Rehman Muzammil 22; Abrar Ahmed 5-36, Aamer Ali 3-35,) and 34-4, 20 overs (Gulraiz Sadaf 12; Abrar Ahmed 2-4, Aamer Ali 2-21) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern, State Bank Stadium, Karachi: Northern 344 for 7, 83 overs (Nasir Nawaz 147 not out, Kashif Iqbal 58, Shoaib Ahmed 52; Asad Afridi 2-24) and 29-1, 12 overs (Nasir Nawaz 17 not out; Arshad Iqbal 1-9) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 310 all out, 78.4 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 105, Mehran Ibrahim 61, Nabi Gul, 53; Shadab Majeed 5-61, Salman Irshad 3-75)

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL RAWALPINDI (November 8, 2020):-An unbeaten Haider Ali’s 66 (44balls) runs and Babar Azam 51 (28balls) innings guided Green Shirts to register a massive win by 8 wickets in the second T-20 international fixture of the three-match T-20 series at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Sunday. Both guys aggregated 100 runs in 62 balls for the second wicket, as Haider got the man of the award. Now, Pakistan have gotten decisive lead of 2-0 in the three T-20 matches series. It was the day of Haider Ali, who smashed 66 runs not out after facing 44 balls including three sixes and six fours during his stay on the wicket. Captain hit eight fours and single six. Khushdil Shah remained not out on 11, as he faced 9 balls. Fakhar could score only five runs in 11 balls. Earlier, afternoon, Green Shirts leader, Babar Azam put visitors into bat first after winning the toss. Zimbabwe’s middle-order and top scorer batsman Ryan Buri last ball huge six on the bowling the Wahab Riaz set the target for the hosts 135 in 20 over per inning fixture. Ryan played an important and unbeaten innings of 32 runs after wasting 22 balls, hitting one six and one four. Wesley, who had scored 70 runs day before yesterday at same venue, could score just 24 runs in 22 balls. He also hit a six and three four during his innings. Elton Chigmubura 18 (19balls), Chibhabha 15 (9balls), Donald Tirpano 15 (17balls) and Seam Williams 13 (10balls) were other contributors in the Zimbabwe innings. Leg-spinner Usman Qadir and local guy Haris Rauf did the major damage in the tourist team batting line, as the both bowler got three wickets each. Usman conceded 23 while Haris conceded 31 runs in their allotted four overs cotta. Fahim Ashraf claimed a single piece of wicker, as he gave 20 runs in 4 overs. Mohammad Husnain conceded 28 while Wahab Riaz 31 runs in their four overs without sending any batsman back to hut.       

SPORTS REPORT KARACHI (November 8, 2020):-Sindh First XI captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been fined 35 per cent match fee for a level 1 offence relating to use of inappropriate language during his side’s first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Northern at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi. The incident happened on Saturday when Sarfaraz repeatedly made inappropriate comments against an umpiring decision during the day’s play. Sarfaraz was reported by on-field umpires Faisal Afridi and Saqib Khan for the violation of article 2.21 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player support Personnel. Sarfaraz pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Mohammad Anees. In a separate incident, Central Punjab batsman Usman Salahuddin has been fined 20 per cent match fee for a level 1 offence relating to conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game during his side’s first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Balochistan at the National Stadium Karachi. The incident happened on Saturday in the 26th over of Central Punjab’s first innings; Usman continuously showed his bat during an lbw appeal, which was deemed as an attempt to mislead the umpires. Usman was reported by on-field umpires Ghaffar Kazmi and Nasir Hussain at the end of second day’s play for violating article 2.20 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player support Personnel. Usman pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Iftikhar Ahmed.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL RAWALPINDI (November 7, 2020):-A massive innings by captain Babar Azam 82 runs helped hosts Pakistan to overcome Zimbabwe by 6 wickets in the first T-20 international fixture of the three-match T-20 series at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Saturday. Pakistan achieved their target of 157 runs in 18.5 overs, as the Babar was judged player of the match. Babar smashed 82 runs after facing 55 balls, as he his one six and nine boundaries during his stay on the pitch. Mohammad Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman scored 36 and 19 runs respectively. Haider could now show impressive performance with the bat and lost his wicket only scoring 7 runs. He was well caught by Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Taylor, as he took a diving catch on his right side. Earlier, Visitor team’s skipper Chamunor Chibhabha decided to bat first after winning the vital toss. Zimbabwe post 156 for 6 on the board in 20 overs per innings fixture, as Wesley Madhevere was top scorer with 70 runs not out, as he faced only 48 balls during his innings. He hit one huge six and nine fours. Seam Williams 25 (24b), Eltion Chigumbura 21 (13b) and wicketkeeper batsman Brendan Taylor 20 (13b) were other major contributors in Zimbabwe innings. Ryan Buri could 8 and Sikander Raza 7 while captain Chibhabha failed to score a solitary run. Haris Rauf and Wahab Riaz got two wickets after conceding 25 and 37 runs respectively. Mohammad Husnain and Usman Qadir chipped in one wicket each.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (November 7, 2020):-The former Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura has decided to retire from all forms of international cricket at the conclusion of the on-going Pakistan tour. The 34-year-old all-rounder is part of the side taking on Pakistan in three T20I matches in Rawalpindi. A veteran of many battles over the past 16 years – during which he served as Zimbabwe’s limited-overs captain from August 2014 before stepping down in January 2016 – Chigumbura made the decision to bring the curtain down on his career as injuries had continued to take a toll on him as well as to pave the way for young blood in the national side. His international career started off on 20 April 2004 when, at the age of 18, he faced Sri Lanka in an ODI match played in Harare. As he bows out, he has made 213 ODI and 14 Test appearances for Zimbabwe, with 54 T20I matches under his belt before the start of his swansong series. Chigumbura is one of Zimbabwe’s most-capped players, having played 281 international matches -excluding the current series – in which he made 5 761 runs and took 138 wickets.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD:-Brazilian and world football legend Pelé, the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup three times, celebrated his 80th birthday on October 24, 2020. Football lovers everywhere will have the chance to relive memories from Pelé’s former team-mates, his family and friends, and to view birthday greetings from past and present global football stars, from FIFA Legends and from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. And, last but not least, the special birthday content will include an exclusive interview with O Rei himself. “Pelé took football to another level. Not only did he epitomise the beautiful game, but he also played with an effortless flair, the like of which had never been seen in Europe. It was just amazing to watch him on the pitch. He is nicknamed O Rei – the King –, and rightly so. I would like to wish Pelé a very happy 80th birthday from the bottom of my heart, and above all health. Today is really a celebration day for the entire world of football,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

SB REPORT KARACHI (November 2, 2020):-South Africa’s Faf du Plessis will make his HBL Pakistan Super League debut as he was one of the 21 foreign stars to confirm his participation in the remaining four matches of Pakistan’s marquee event, which will be played in Karachi on 14, 15 and 17 November. Du Plessis has played 255 international matches for South Africa, including 47 T20Is and is ranked 31st in the ICC T20I Player Rankings for Batsmen. Du Plessis last visited Pakistan in 2017 as the ICC World XI captain and will represent Peshawar Zalmi as a replacement player for Kieron Pollard, who will be in New Zealand with the West Indies side. Faf du Plessis: “I am very excited to join Peshawar Zalmi for the playoff stage games of HBL PSL 2020. I have fond memories of playing in Pakistan when I toured with the ICC World XI in 2017 and I am sure this experience, although different due to Covid-19, will be a memorable one as well.” Besides du Plessis, Cameron Delport (Karachi Kings), Dane Vilas, David Wiese (both Lahore Qalandars), Rilee Rossouw, Imran Tahir (both Multan Sultans) and Hardus Viljoen (Peshawar Zalmi) are the other South Africa players who will be in action in the tournament that carries a total prize money of $1million. Six England cricketers, led by Alex Hales and James Vince, have also shown their commitment to continue to feature in one of the most attractive and widely followed leagues. Hales and Vince will be in Karachi Kings’ and Multan Sultan’s colours respectively, while the other four England players are Samit Patel (Lahore Qalandars), Adam Lyth, Ravi Bopara (both Multan Sultans) and Liam Livingstone (Peshawar Zalmi). Off the four West Indies players, two - Chadwick Walton and Sherfane Rutherford – will appear for Karachi, while two - Carlos Brathwaite and Daren Sammy – will represent Peshawar Zalmi. Rutherford will replace Chris Jordon, who will be in South Africa with the England side. Bangladesh will be represented in the HBL PSL 2020 playoffs by Tamim Iqbal (Lahore Qalandars) and Mahmudullah (Multan Sultans). Mahmudullah: “It’s an honour to play in the HBL PSL. Cricket is being played very differently this year and I hope to play a part in bringing smiles to the faces of our fans.” Tamim Iqbal: “I can’t wait to be back at the HBL PSL. Lahore Qalandars have had an amazing journey and I want to help our team win the trophy this year.” Ben Dunk, the 33-year-old Queenslander who was one of the stars in the initial stages of the HBL PSL this year, will be aiming to help Lahore Qalandars win their first title in five attempts. HBL PSL 2020 was the first event to be held entirely in Pakistan since its inception in 2016. The fifth edition commenced in Karachi on 20 February, but was suspended on 17 March. Apart from Karachi and Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan were the two other venues to host 30 of the 34 matches as nearly half a million spectators crossed turnstiles to witness live action. Squads: Karachi Kings - Aamir Yamin, Alex Hales (England), Arshad Iqbal, Awais Zia, Babar Azam, Cameron Delport (South Africa), Chadwick Walton (West Indies), Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mitchel McClenaghan (New Zealand), Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Sharjeel Khan, Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Umaid Asif, Umer Khan,Usama Mir and Waqas Maqsood Lahore Qalandars - Abid Ali, Agha Salman, Ben Dunk (Australia), Dane Vilas (South Africa), David Wiese (South Africa), Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Farzan Raja, Haris Rauf, Jaahid Ali, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Samit Patel (England), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Akhtar, Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh) and Usman Shinwari Multan Sultans - Adam Lyth (England), Ali Shafiq, Bilawal Bhatti, Imran Tahir (South Africa), James Vince (England), Junaid Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mahmudullah (Bangladesh), Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Irfan, Ravi Bopara (England), Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Rohail Nazir, Shaan Masood, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Zeeshan Ashraf Peshawar Zalmi - Aamir Ali, Adil Amin, Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Daren Sammy (West Indies), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Haider Ali Khan, Hardus Viljoen (South Africa), Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Khurram Shehzad, Liam Livingstone (England), Mohammad Mohsin, Rahat Ali, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah Replacements: Karachi Kings - Sherfane Rutherford comes in for Chris Jordan; Waqas Maqsood comes in for Ali Khan Lahore Qalandars – Tamim comes in for Chris Lynn, Abid Ali replaces Salman Butt and Agha Salman takes over from Seekkuge Prasanna. Multan Sultans – Mahmudullah comes in for Moeen Ali; Adam Lyth replaced Fabian Allen Peshawar Zalmi – Faf du Plessis replaces Kieron Pollard; Hardus Viljoen joins in place of Liam Dawson; Yasir Shah will continue, replacing Lewis Gregory; Khurram Shahzad joins the side in place of Amir Khan

SB REPORT LAHORE (November 2, 2020):-Northern presented the National Under-19 One-Day Tournament title to Sindh on a silver platter when they lost their last nine wickets for 38 runs to lose the final by 53 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday. Chasing 243 runs in 50 overs for victory, Northern were cruising at 151 for one before they were mesmerised by wrist-spinner Aaliyan Mehmood to be spun out for 189 in 44.3 overs. Aaliyan Mehmood returned figures of 10-0-45-4 to not only pick up the player of the final award, but also finish the tournament as the third most successful bowler with 24 wickets, including four four-fers. He averaged 15.6, while his economy-rate remained at 3.69. Left-arm spinner Faisal Akram of Southern was the most successful bowler with 27 wickets, including two five-fers, while Mubasir Khan of Northern ended the tournament with 26 wickets at an average of 12.42, including two four-fers. Faisal was later declared best bowler of the tournament, while Mubasir for his 26 wickets and 332 runs was named player of the tournament. After Hassan Abid Kiyani departed early, Mohammad Shoaib Khan and Abdul Faseeh stitched up a 147-run second-wicket partnership to put Northern on course for a comfortable victory. But the dismissal of Shoaib Khan, who scored a 84-ball 71 with six fours, and Abdul Faseeh within a space of four runs opened all floodgates as Sindh bowlers got on top of Northern batsmen to run through the innings. Abdul Faseeh, who became one of the two Adeel Meo’s victims, scored 70 with five fours from 99 balls. The 17-year-old, who was adjudged best batsman of the tournament, finished the competition as the most impressive and consistent batsman with 524 runs, including a century and five half-centuries. Sindh’s Mubashir Nawaz was the second most successful batsman with 390 runs, followed up by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Maaz Sadaqat (363 runs). Besides Aaliyan, Zameer Shah took two for 26, Adeel Meo bagged two for 32 and Talha Ahsan snapped up two for 36. Earlier, and after being put into bat, Sindh were helped by wicketkeeper-batsman Ghazi Ghouri and Rizwan Mehmood to a respectable 242 for eight after they were in a spot on bother at 93 for four. Rizwan had held the top-order together with a quality 53 from 87 balls with six fours and a six, and later, Ghazi, in association with Kashif Ali (38 off 39 with five fours and a six), added 70 runs for the seventh wicket. Ghazi contributed 62 from 83 balls with seven fours. For Northern, Faizan Saleem and Mubasir Khan equally shared four wickets between them conceding 19 and 47 runs, respectively. The National U19 three-day Tournament will now commence on Thursday. In the first round action, Balochistan will take on Sindh at the LCCA, Lahore, Central Punjab will meet Southern Punjab at Rana Navedul Hasan Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura, and Northern will square off against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Lahore Country Club in Muridke. Scores in brief: Sindh beat Northern by 53 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium Sindh 242-8, 50 overs (Ghazi Ghouri 62, Rizwan Mehmood 53, Kashif Ali 38; Faizan Saleem 2-19, Mubasir Khan 2-47) Northern 189 all out, 44.3 overs (Mohammad Shoaib Khan 71, Abdul Faseeh 70; Aaliyan Mehmood 4-45, Zeeshan Zameer 2-26, Talha Ahsan 2-36, Adeel Meo 2-32) Player of the final – Aaliyan Mehmood (Sindh) Player of the Tournament – Mubasir Khan (Northern) Best Batsman – Abdul Faseeh (Northern) Best Bowler – Faisal Akram (Southern Punjab) Best wicketkeeper – Salman Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)