ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 3, 2020):-Top national player, Aqeel Khan and Muzammil Murtaza qualified for the final of PTF-ITA Islamabad Super Tennis Cup 2020 after threshing their respective challengers Ahmed Chaudhary and Mohammad Abid respectively in the semifinals here at PTF Tennis Complex on Saturday. Final of the Super Tennis Cup will be played on Sunday at same venue while president, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Salim Saifullah will grace the final as chief guest to disburse the prizes amongst the winners. On Saturday, in the first semifinal of the Men’s Singles fixture, top national tennis players outclassed Ahmed Chudhary 2-0 after displaying excellent skills of the game. Meanwhile, in the second semifinal, Muzammil got rid of Mohammad Abid 2-1 in a well contested three set match. In the juniors 18&U, Hamid Israr and M. Huzaifa Khan moved into the finals. The Final of the Men’s single will be held at 3-30 pm between Aqeel Khan & Muzammil Murtaza, while the juniors final will be held at 3 pm between M. Huzaifa Khan & Hamid Israr. Results: Men’s Singles (semifinals): Aqeel Khan beat Ahmed Chaudhary: 7-6(4), 6-0 Muzammil Murtaza beat Mohammad Abid: 6-4, 6-2 Junior’s Under-18 (semifinals): Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Zalan Khan: 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 Hamid Israr beat Sami Zeb Khan: 6-3, 6-4

SALMAN KHAN ISLAMABAD(October 3, 2020):-Defending champions Northern once again displayed their all-round depth in a comfortable 35-run win over Central Punjab in the seventh match of the National T20 Cup for First XIs on Saturday evening at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Northern have attained maximum six points from their first three matches and are placed at the top of the six-team points table. The impressive Northern bowling line-up defended a 155-run total by restricting Central Punjab to 120 in 18.1 overs as pacers Musa Khan and Haris Rauf led the way taking  three wickets each conceding 23 and 26 runs respectively. Veteran Sohail Tanvir (two for 15) and skipper Shadab Khan (two for 25) took two wickets apiece as they provided more than adequate support to the young fast bowling duo of Haris and Musa. Central Punjab lost their way in the chase despite being placed at 90 for two in the 13th over, a stunning collapse saw them lose their last eight wickets for the addition of a mere 30 runs. Opener Abid Ali (36 off 33 balls five fours) fought hard for his side but his dismissal to Musa triggered the Central Punjab collapse, Abdullah Shafiq contributed 20 runs.  No other batsmen could offer much fight to the Northern attack. For another all-round effort Shadab Khan was named man-of-the-match, he also won the award in the previous game against Southern Punjab. Reflecting on his and his team’s performance Shadab Khan said: “I am very pleased with my team performance and also happy to contribute as an all-rounder. We made a great comeback once again after a tough start with the bat and even while bowling we bounced back from a difficult situation. The presence of Musa and Haris is a huge plus for us as their pace makes a real difference at any stage of the game. The reason for our success is our unity and fighting spirit, we never give-up in any situation and that has helped us win two tough games from difficult situations.” Earlier, Central Punjab who opted to bowl first after winning the toss, restricted Northern to 155 for eight. Leg-spinner Usman Qadir was the pick of the CP bowlers taking three wickets for 28 runs in his four economical overs. Captain Shadab Khan scored a quickfire 30 off 17 balls with the help of two sixes and two fours to lead his side’s recovery after they had limped to 40 for thee in the 10th over of their innings. Young wicketkeeper batsman Rohail Nazir hit two sixes and a four in his unbeaten 21 off 8 balls to take his team past the 150-run mark. Asif Ali hit three sixes in his 24 off 11 balls. Umar Amin contributed 21 off 14 balls with the help of two sixes. Scores in brief: Northern 155-8, 20 overs (Shadab Khan 30; Asif Ali 24, Rohail Nazir 21 not out; Usman Qadir 3-28) Central Punjab 120 all out, 18.1 overs (Abid Ali 36, Abdullah Shafiq 20; Musa Khan 3-23, Haris Rauf 3-26) Result – Northern won by 35 runs Player of the match – Shadab Khan (Northern) Sunday’s fixtures: 1500 PST - Balochistan v Southern Punjab. Qaiser Waheed and Waleed Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Aftab Gilani (third umpire), Nasir Hussain Snr (fourth umpire); Iqbal Sheikh (match referee). 1930 PST - Northern v Sindh. Faisal Afridi and Nasir Hussain Snr (on-field umpires), Zameer Haider (third umpire), Qaiser Waheed (fourth umpire); Iftikhar Ahmed (match referee)

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (October 3, 2020);-Northern batsman Haider Ali has been fined for a breach of the PCB Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel during his side’s 35-run win over Central Punjab in the seventh match of the National T20 Cup First XI tournament at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Haider was fined 30 per cent of his applicable match fee for a Level 1 offence relating to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during a match. The incident occurred in the ninth over of Northern’s innings when Haider showed his bat to the umpire, which was deemed as a disagreement over the decision, after being adjudged LBW on an Usman Qadir’s delivery. Haider was charged for the violation of Article 2.8 by on-field umpires Aftab Gillani and Faisal Khan Afridi, third umpire Waleed Yaqoob, and fourth umpire Nasir Hussain. Haider pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Iftikhar Ahmed.  

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-PAK-Kuwait joint expedition team on Friday left for Rupal Peak. Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) hosted a reception in the honour of team members of Pak- Kuwait Joint Expedition, which is going to Rupal Peak. Yousef Alnassar from Kuwait and Ghulam Abbas from Alpine Club of Pakistan are leaving for Astore to climb Rupal Peak. At the occasion, Yousel Alnassar shared his views about his earlier winter expedition. He was impressed by the nature beauty of mountains and hospitality of Pakistani people. He also shared his future plan to climb K-2 in near future. About his preparation and other aspects of expedition he responded a lot of questions raised by the participants. He assured that he would work as a Ambassador of Pakistan to promote Pakistani mountain tourism in middle east. The President ACP Abu Zafar Sadiq, Karrsr Haideri, Najeeb Khattak, Ali  Mohammad and others were also present at the occasion.    

SALMAN KHAN MULTAN (October 2, 2020):-A sparkling performance by Shaheen Shah Afridi 5 for 20 helped Rizwan’s XI to earn a big victory by 8 wickets against Balochistan in the National T20 Cricket Cup 2020 fixture at Multan Cricket Stadium Multan. Shaheen caused early inroads and then returned in the death overs to finish with figures of 4-0-20-5 to restrict Balochistan to 152 for nine after they had elected to bat first. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa top-order then milked Balochistan’s bowling to race to victory in 17 overs for the loss of two wickets. It was a good bounce back by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after they had suffered a 79-run defeat against defending champions Northern in a tall-scoring match on Wednesday. Balochistan will have a chance to avenge for this loss when they will again meet Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Rawalpindi on 10 October. Shaheen stole the third day honours after Pakistan’s young batting guns had dominated the first two days of the 33-match competition. Shaheen removed Imam-ul-Haq (9) and Awais Zia (24) in his first spell and then returned to dismiss Ammad Butt (4), Yasir Shah (0) and Umaid Asif (7) as Balochistan managed 37 runs in the last five overs to finish at 152 for nine. Reflecting on his and his team performance, Shaheen Shah Afridi said: “I am very pleased with my performance and want to thank Allah for my success. I enjoy my bowling, I try hard wherever I play, in the first match we didn’t have an idea that the pitch will be so flat, in the second game today we changed our plans and worked out what length to bowl on the pitch and I am happy we got success with the strategy.” Shaheen was well supported by fellow left-armer Usman Shinwari who picked up two wickets but went for 48 runs. For Balochistan, Imran Butt finished as the top-scorer with a 32-ball 37, while Haris Sohail (29) and Awais Zia (24) were the other contributors. In their 153-run chase, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa openers Mohammad Rizwan (57 not out) and Fakhar Zaman (25) provided a 44-run start in less than five overs, before Rizwan and Mohammad Hafeez (45,  25b, 5x4, 3x6) added 66 runs for the second wicket. Rizwan returned unbeaten on 57, an innings that came off  42 balls and included five four and two sixes. Iftikhar Ahmed (27) was the other not out batsmen as the third wicket put on 47 runs in  30 balls. Scores in brief Balochistan 152-9, 20 overs (Imran Butt 37, Haris Sohail 29, Awais Zia 24; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-20, Usman Shinwari 2-48) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 157-2, 17 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 57 not out, Mohammad Hafeez 45, Iftikhar Ahmed 29 not out, Fakhar Zaman 25) Result – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won by eight wickets Player of the match – Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Saturday’s fixtures: 1500 PST - Northern v Central Punjab. Aftab Gillani and Faisal Khan Afridi (on-field umpires), Waleed Yaqub (third umpire), Nasir Hussain Snr (fourth umpire); Iftikhar Ahmed (match referee). 1930 PST - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab. Nasir Hussain Snr and Zameer Haider (on-field umpires), Qaiser Waheed (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Iqbal Sheikh (match referee)    

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) has started the registration of national climbers for the forthcoming national events after getting green signals from Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). According to an official of ACP, club had requested to PSB for permission to hold the climbing events, which were halted due to corona virus. Finally, PSB informed ACP that all sports activities are allowed in the premises of Pakistan Sports Complex except swimming. Alpine Club of Pakistan asked all the climbers for the registration, as the forms have also been issues. Club is planning to hold event near future.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-Aqeel Khan, Muzammil, Ahmed Ch and Mohammad Abid moved into the semifinal of PTF-ITA Islamabad Super Tennis Cup 2020 by beating their respective opponents in the quarterfinals on Friday here at PTF Tennis Complex. Semifinals will be played on Saturday at same venue. Tariq Murtaza President, Islamabad Tennis Association (ITA) graced the opening ceremony as chief guest. He interacted with the players and welcomed them and also appreciated the efforts of the PTF and ITA management for joining hands in organizing the tennis tournament after a long break owing to Covid-19. Khawar Hyat Khan Senior Vice President- PTF was also present at the occasion. Results: (Men’s Singles Round-I): Aqeel Khan beat Mudassir Murtaza: 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 Muzammil Murtaza beat Barkatullah: 6-2, 6-1 Ahmed Chaudhary beat Heera Ashiq: 6-1, 6-1 Mohammad Abid beat Shahzad Khan: 6-3, 6-2 (Juniors’ Under-19 Singles Round-I): Zalan Khan beat Faizan Fayyaz Khan: 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-1 Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Nalain Abbas: 6-1, 6-1 Sami Zeb Khan beat Aqib Hayat: 6-4, 6-4 Hamid Israr beat Subhan Bin Salik: 6-2, 6-3

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-Australia have retained top positions in the ICC Women’s Team Rankings for both ODIs and T20Is while India have overtaken New Zealand to grab third position in the T20I table, after the annual rankings update carried out on Friday. In other noteworthy changes in the latest update, which expunges results from the 2016-17 season, weights the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons at 50% and the 2019-20 matches at 100%, South Africa have overtaken New Zealand to fourth place and Bangladesh have leapfrogged Sri Lanka to eighth in the ODI table. Record lead for Australia in ODIs: Six-time ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup champions and winners of both editions of the ICC Women’s Championship, Australia’s stellar display during the rating period saw them win 20 of 21 ODIs, increasing their tally by eight points to 160. Their massive lead of 39 points over second-placed India is the largest by any team (men or women) in any form of the game. It comes on the back of 3-0 series wins over India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and an earlier 2-1 win over England at the start of the ICC Women’s Championship, only a few months after England had won the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017. India (121) and England (119) have lost four points each while clinging on to their second and third positions, respectively, while South Africa (107) enjoy a 13-point lead over New Zealand (94), with the West Indies (85), Pakistan (77), Bangladesh (61) and Sri Lanka (47) following in that order. India’s gain only change in top 15 of T20Is list: The women’s T20I rankings table sees Australia and England retain the top two positions, their points tally remaining 291 and 280, respectively. India, who made the final of this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, have overtaken New Zealand, in what is the only change in the top 15 of the 56-team list. The biggest improvement in rankings has been registered by Brazil, who are up 11 places to 27th, after a gain of 15 rating points, while the biggest ranking fall has been for Malaysia, who are down from 31st to 38th. Samoa (up two places to 16th), Indonesia (up two places to 20th) and the United States of America (up four places to 31st) are among other teams to have made notable progress.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited 27 players for a women’s High Performance Camp, which will be kicked off from October 8, 2020 at National Cricket Stadium. According to media department of PCB, the announcement of women’s High Performance Camp has completed a slow but careful and strategic resumption of all cricket activities. The 2020-21 season had begun on 30 September with the National T20 Cup and the six Cricket Association U19 squads were named on Thursday for the three-day and one-day National U19 Tournaments, which will be played from 13 October to 29 November. The 27 cricketers invited for the High Performance Camp are: 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 As part of the PCB Covid-19 protocols, all 27 players and player support personnel will undergo first round of testing at their residences, the cost of which will be reimbursed by the PCB. Players and player support personnel with negative tests will then assemble in Karachi, where they will undergo the second round of tests before being allowed to integrate with the larger group. During the camp, the players and player support personnel will undergo third round of testing to ensure their health and safety. During the training period, the players and player support personnel will follow the bio-secure protocols while being stationed at a hotel in Karachi. The High Performance Department will appoint the player support personnel, who will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, Lahore-based cricketers have been visiting the NHPC and taking advantage of the presence of experienced coaches in Atiq-uz-Zaman and Mohammad Zahid. The two coaches have split their time between men and women cricketers, while giving them the required attention and training as per their requirements. Atiq-uz-Zaman: “I have been impressed with their fitness standards. Despite the Covid-19 lockdown, the girls have maintained good fitness, which reflects their positive and professional approach. Fitness is the key, which specially helps in fielding and I am pleased with the dedication these girls are showing to further hone their skills. They are willing to go an extra yard to improve something which hasn’t been traditionally a hallmark of our cricket.” Mohammad Zahid: “Fast bowling is all about rhythm and the quickies are not too far from the top flight. The more these girls will bowl in the nets, the better they will get. Our objective is to help them rise to the standard where they play and perform in competitive cricket. “David Hemp’s appointment is a decision in the right direction. He is an experienced coach and understands the psyche, dynamics and requirements of women cricketers. All the coaches at the NHPC look forward to welcoming him in Lahore and will support and assist him in any way we can.” Wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz said: “It is very refreshing to be at the NHPC, which provides the cricket atmosphere and encourages professional cricketers to get actively involved and utilise the facilities. We have been missing this environment for nearly six months but with the opening of the NHPC and availability of renowned coaches, it is helping all of us to cover up for the lost time.” All-rounder Aliya Riaz said: “I know our domestic season has not been announced though the High Performance Camp has been unveiled, but we are taking this period as pre-season training and preparation so that they are not rusty when our cricket resumes. It is a blessing to have such outstanding training facilities with qualified coaches also available to us. We are thoroughly enjoying these training sessions and hope hard work in these sessions will pay off when our cricket commences.”

SB REPORT LAHORE (October 2, 2020);-Southern Punjab and Sindh won their matches on Friday in the ongoing Second XI National T20 Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium. Northern v Southern Punjab Zain Abbas’ unbeaten 90 off 52 balls secured a seven-wicket win for Southern Punjab in their first match of the Second XI National T20 Cup. Zain and opener Tayyab Tahir (40 off 41) stitched a 105-run stand for the second wicket to help their team overhaul the 148-run target in 18.3 overs. Out of Southern Punjab’s three wickets, two were picked by Athar Mehmood, right-arm medium fast, for 20 runs. Southern Punjab’s Mohammad Irfan, slow left-arm, took three wickets for 36 runs, while left-arm fast Zia-ul-Haq and off-spinner Salman Ali shared four wickets between them after their captain Mohammad Naveed Yasin elected to bowl first. Nasir Nawaz and Omair Masood were the only notable run-getters with 29 and 26 for Northern as they made 147 for eight in 20 overs. Scores in brief: Northern 147-8, 20 overs (Nasir Nawaz 29, Omair Masood 26; Mohammad Irfan 3-36, Zia-ul-Haq 2-26, Salman Ali 2-28) Southern Punjab 148-3, 18.3 overs (Zain Abbas 90 not out, Tayyab Tahir 40; Athar Mehmood 2-20) Southern Punjab won by seven wickets Balochistan v Sindh Sindh rode to a five-wicket win on the back of Hassan Mohsin’s quickfire 34-ball 71 not out against Balochistan. The 22-year-old made a cakewalk of the 164-run target, smashing eight fours and four sixes, as his team chased it down with three balls spare. He along with Saad Ali (33 off 30) knitted an 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Balochistan’s slow-left arm Jalat Khan took two wickets for 29 runs. Captain Azeem Ghumman, who scored run-a-ball 34, and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, who scored a half-century, provided Balochistan a 77-run opening stand after the former elected to bat. Abdul Wahid smashed five fours and four sixes to score 73 off 49. Ayyaz Tasawar, batting at four, made 27 off 16, which included three fours and two sixes. Scores in brief: Balochistan 163-5, 20 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 73, Azeem Ghumman 34, Ayyaz Tasawar 27) Sindh 164-5, 19.3 overs (Hassan Mohsin 71, Saad Ali 33, Ammad Alam 23; Jalat Khan 2-29) Sindh won by five wickets Khyber Pakhtunkhwa play Southern Punjab in the first match on Saturday, while Balochistan and Central Punjab face-off in the second match of the day.