SB NEWS LAHORE (August 3, 2020):-The PCB has explained it had included its staffers in the six Cricket Associations as a transitory and administrative step with the sole purpose of facilitating and expediting the registration process, and the staffers will resign as soon as the interim committees are constituted. The PCB has also emphasised there was no bar in the PCB Constitution 2019 on its employees being founding members of a Society for any Cricket Association to get it registered. The PCB stated on Monday this temporary administrative arrangement had been adopted as this was the most time efficient, reliable and logistically convenient mechanism for the registration of all six Cricket Associations. It reiterated no PCB staffer will be a member of the interim committees, as these are put in place to run the day-to-day affairs of the Cricket Associations till the elected personnel will not take over. This is important because PCB’s vision is that these bodies will run their cricket independently with PCB overseeing as a regulatory body and assisting where required only. Contrary to the misleading impression being created, the PCB vehemently denied it had allocated or released any funds to the cricket associations that, in turn, will be managed by the PCB staff. It said the allocation of funds, if required, will be considered by the PCB under Clause 16(9) of the PCB Constitution 2019.  “As such, the PCB believes it was unfair to malign, accuse and criticise it of breaching the PCB and Model Constitutions on selected, misleading and incomplete information. The PCB firmly believes in transparency and meritocracy, and will continue to display these with its actions and performances.” The next step is to constitute interim committees to: a) To adopt the model constitution, and b) To run the affairs of the associations till the duly elected representatives take offices. To elect the first office-bearers prior logical steps have to be completed; a) clubs registered with City Cricket Associations, b) general body elects office-bearers of City Cricket Associations, and c) the elected representatives of City Cricket Associations form the general body of the Cricket Associations. Any attempt to corrupt the proper logical steps leading to formation of the Cricket Associations will take away from the long term independent structure of the Cricket Associations and City Cricket Associations the PCB wants to ensure.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (July 26, 2020):-Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) organized online squash coaching and training sessions, aiming to maintain level of physical of the players during the Covid-19 restrictions, as the pandemic halted all sports activities in the country. According to PSF Media Department, federation has remained committed in engaging the players, coaches and trainers to stay connected with squash activities. PSF has already been conducting online physical training of players since March this year 2020 through Zoom application because of which the participants have been able to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. As part of faculty development, it was the vision of President and Senior Vice President, PSF that apart from players’ development, PSF may introduce opportunities for development of coaches in Pakistan. Therefore, PSF has arranged PSF Level-1 Squash Coaching Course from 20 July, 2020 which would last till 28 July, 2020. Owing to the restrictions of COVID-19 this course is being conducted on-Line through Zoom Application where all participants can interact and understand each other easily. PSF respects all the senior coaches of Pakistan who have a vast coaching experience and have trained many great players. However, it’s time to pass on the talent to amateurs to create more good coaches. Therefore, this course is planned for amateurs who want to start their career as a squash coach to train players starting from grass-root level. After Level-1, PSF will also conduct further advance level courses on the same pattern in near future. Such coaching courses are also conducted by other countries all over the world and PSF would continue to conduct more courses of Level-II and Level-III in future as well.  It is expected that this activity would help PSF to increase the pool of coaches in Pakistan and raise their qualification level in the coaching profession. Moreover, these courses will equally provide an opportunity to the amateurs to gain professional experience and utilize it in a better way to promote and expand the game of squash at grass roots level.  These are Pakistan level courses and it is expected that such courses would provide a platform to Pakistani players, trainers, coaches and amateurs to attend coaching courses of various levels organized by Asian Squash Federation and World Squash Federation and increase their professional knowledge / qualification in the field of coaching. In future, PSF also intends to hold ASF & WSF coaching courses in Pakistan. On recommendation of provincial squash associations & affiliated departments, a group of 49 players, trainers, coaches & amateurs are participating in subject course.  They include 14 from Punjab, 9 from KP, 9 from Sindh, 5 from Balochistan, 7 from PAF, 3 from SNGPL and one each from Army & ZTBL.  Besides local participants, few overseas Pakistanis are also attending the course. The main purpose of this arrangement is to keep the players, local coaches & amateurs actively involved in squash activities during the prevailing Covid-19 Pandemic. Moreover, the aim of this activity is to train the trainers for providing standardized training starting from grass-root level, educate them on the changing rules & latest techniques of game development to get better performance & results from amateur players. PSF Coaches Mr Rehman Gul, Fazal Shah & Asif Khan who have a vast professional experience and have sound knowledge of modern squash, are conducting the module of squash and conducting regular sessions for on-court practice / game development. Whereas, Physical Training module which is already being run since March this year, is being looked after by PSF Strength & Conditioning Coaches Mohammad Boota, Mohammad Anees and Mohammad Kashif. They are providing their expert services to maintain & improve players’ physical strength, fitness & stamina which is essentially required for a player to sustain throughout the tournament. There has been a very healthy participation in this Level-I coaching course and all the participants have been appreciating the trainers and such efforts. Most importantly, all the participants are very respectable and they have also been sharing their experiences with the coaches which has created a very healthy & interactive learning environment. We hope that this would help Pakistan to create best performing players in future.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 22, 2020):-Pakistan men’s national cricket team completed their first intra-squad four-dayer on Monday and one of the many silver linings for the team was seasoned fast bowler Sohail Khan’s five-wicket haul. On the third day of the practice match between Azhar Ali’s Team Green and Babar Azam’s Team White, the 36-year-old returned figures of five for 50 in 20.1 overs which saw the former fold for 181 in the first innings before they staged a comeback on the final day to win the match by six wickets. Prior to the practice match, Sohail had a conversation with bowling coach Waqar Younis on the art of late swing. Sohail shared how the presence of the bowling legend in the support staff helped him gear up for the four-day match. “The conditions in England are swing conducive so every fast bowler gets the ball to move,” Sohail said “I asked Waqar bhai to teach me how to swing the ball late. It took him only two minutes to explain it to me. It is because of his tips that I took five wickets in the first innings. “I am eager to learn from Waqar bhai. I follow him wherever he goes and speak to him about the art of bowling as he has an abundance of knowledge to share. A few days back I was struggling with something while bowling, I thought of reaching out to him and even before I spoke to him about it, he said he knew what I wanted to talk to him about and he explained it to me in a minute.” On Pakistan’s historic tour of England in 2016, Sohail played a crucial role in helping Pakistan secure a 2-2 Test series draw by returning two five-wicket hauls in as many matches. In total, he picked up 13 wickets at 25 apiece and finished as the third best wicket-taker. In such a backdrop, the English side will be wary of his Sohail’s presence. The fast bowler last played a Test in December 2016 and expressed his delight on his inclusion in the squad for this tour. “Definitely, it is an honour for me to return to the side. I had taken two five-fers here against England in 2016 and now in the practice match I have started off with five wickets so I am feeling very good. We had been at our homes for the past four months due to coronavirus so starting off on a high feels nice.” Prior to Sohail’s five wickets, 17-year-old Naseem Shah made a big impact when he took five wickets for Team Green. The strength of Pakistan’s pace attack was further established as Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up three wickets each providing valuable support to Naseem and Sohail respectively. Naseem and Shaheen finished the match with six and four wickets respectively. Shedding light on the youngsters’ performances, Sohail said: “It gives me immense pleasure to see Naseem Shah. He bowls consistently at 150kph. Just like him, Shaheen Shah Afridi is another good bowler. I like both of them. “It gave me great happiness to see Naseem pick five wickets in the first innings. He is in rhythm and is looking great. What is astonishing is that he is playing in these conditions for the first time but still he is doing so well. Shaheen has also been phenomenal.” Scores in brief: Team White 249 all-out, 94 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 54 not out, Shan Masood 42, Imam-ul-Haq 41, Fawad Alam 24, Haider Ali 21; Naseem Shah 5-55, Mohammad Abbas 3-42, Yasir Shah 2-40) and 284-5 dec, 83.4 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 100 not out, Babar Azam 58, Haider Ali 51, Shadab Khan 39 not out; Yasir Shah 2-52) Team Green 181 all-out, 65.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 51, Azhar Ali 31, Iftikhar Ahmed 31; Sohail Khan 5-50, Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-33) and 354-4, 88.1 overs (Azhar Ali 120 retired out, Fakhar Zaman 99, Asad Shafiq 67 retired out, Iftikhar Ahmed 28 not out) Result: Team Green won by six wickets  

SPORTS REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (July 17, 2020): Following the one-year postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 due to the COVID-19 global health pandemic, the FIH can today confirm the match schedule for the men’s and women’s hockey competitions of the XXXII Olympiad. The hockey event was originally scheduled to run from Saturday 25 July until Friday 7 August 2020, with matches being played at the purpose-built Oi Hockey Stadium in Japan’s capital city. Although nothing has changed in terms of the location and overall running order of the matches, the Olympic hockey competitions will now start on Saturday 24 July and conclude on Friday 6 August 2021. In line with what was planned for this year, the opening match of next year’s Olympic Games will be contested between the men of Japan and Australia, with the host nation a facing stern test from the 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League champions - Olympic gold medallists at Athens 2004 - on 24 July (09:30 local time). The opening match of the women’s tournament will be played on the same day, with reigning world champions and current world number one the Netherlands - Olympic champions in 1984, 2008 and 2012 - taking on India (20:45 local time). The men’s and women’s gold medal matches will take place on 5 and 6 August respectively. The announcement was made in Tokyo at a special press briefing held by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee on Friday (17 July), which revealed the complete Olympic Competition Schedule for every sport being played at next year’s mammoth multi-sport event.  As revealed in November 2019, the pools for the Olympic hockey competitions – the composition of which was determined by the same process applied for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 (see Appendix 2) – can be found below. Men Pool A: Australia, Argentina, India, Spain, New Zealand, Japan Pool B: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa Women Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, India, South Africa Pool B: Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Spain, China, Japan The teams that will compete in Tokyo all earned their tickets by either becoming continental champions of their respective regions or via the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (July 17, 2020):-The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee announced at today’s virtual IOC Session that all the venues intended for the Games in 2020 have been secured for next year, and confirmed the sports competition schedule. This marks a significant step for the organisers, with only one year to go until the postponed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 open on 23 July 2021. As preparations continue to advance, these decisions highlight the progress made amidst the current unprecedented circumstances, with strong unity amongst all stakeholders driving the planning and delivery of next year’s Games. This was emphasised by the Organising Committee’s President, Yoshiro Mori, and its CEO, Toshiro Muto. In their report to the IOC Session, they confirmed that all 43 competition venues, the Olympic Village, and the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre would be used for the Olympic Games in 2021. The Tokyo organisers also announced that the competition schedule will remain the same, with some minor timing adjustments for operational reasons. “The Olympic Village is the beating heart of the Olympic Games, while the venues are its soul. I am delighted that the Village and the venues have been confirmed for next year. This means that the athletes will have this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Athletes from all around the world will live together under one roof in the Olympic Village, sharing meals together, celebrating together, discussing together and forming these unique Olympic communities. That Tokyo 2020 has been able to achieve this and confirm the competition schedule despite the extraordinary circumstances is testament to the work of the Joint Steering Committee led by John Coates and Yoshiro Mori,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. He continued, “With only one year to go, a mammoth task still lies ahead of us. With our Japanese partners and friends, we agree that we have to adapt the planning of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to the requirements of the global crisis, while maintaining the unique spirit and message that defines our mission. We are working to optimise the operations and services without touching on sports and athletes. In this way we can, together with the Organising Committee, turn these postponed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 into an unprecedented celebration of unity and solidarity of humankind, making them a symbol of resilience and hope. It showing that we are stronger together.” Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori commented, "Following the decision to postpone the Games, Tokyo 2020 immediately formed the New Launch Task Force and began to organise systems ready to face this unprecedented challenge. Our all staff members have been working tirelessly around the clock on these preparations, and it is my pleasure to announce today that we have successfully secured all venues and confirmed the competition schedule for next year’s Games.” He continued, “I believe that the moment when athletes around the world emerge from this long, dark tunnel to gather at the Games will be a moment of pure and priceless joy. I have no doubt that people around the world will find this sight deeply moving. We will continue to give our utmost to ensure that the Tokyo Games are of special value as a symbol of unity and solidarity in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis. Next week on the 23rd, one year before the Games, we plan to send out a message of solidarity, hope, and courage to athletes with their eyes on next year’s Games." The Tokyo 2020 leadership used this opportunity to highlight the positioning, principles for re-planning and roadmap for the Games, first presented to the IOC Executive Board last month. The positioning and principles put the athletes and sport at the centre of the plans for Tokyo 2020, and address the desire to simplify and optimize Games preparations and delivery. The roadmap outlines the key activities, initiatives and milestones up until Games time in 2021. Since the historic announcement that the Olympic Games would be postponed, the IOC has been working in a spirit of solidarity with Tokyo 2020 and Olympic Movement stakeholders to reduce the impact caused by this postponement. During the Session, IOC President Bach thanked the Japanese partners and friends of the Games headed by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshiro, Governor Koike Yuriko, and the athletes, all the Summer Olympic International Federations, the NOCs, TOP Partners and Rights-Holding Broadcasters. The IOC Session also received an update on the developments being made to simplify and optimise the Games, with the support of all delivery partners from the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and the Coordination Commission. These groups continue to review opportunities to optimise and streamline the Games’ scope and service levels. In addition, as most of the world continues to deal with the uncertainty of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the “All Partner Task Force”, which includes experts from WHO and local Japanese government authorities, continues to advise the Games organisers. Plans are being developed for COVID-19 countermeasures. The top priority remains the one already established before the postponement decision - to safeguard the health of all of the Olympic Games participants. The next major milestone for the organisers takes place on 23 July, marking one year to go until the start of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. A series of activities have been planned to mark this occasion, including the launch of the Olympic brand campaign, StrongerTogether, which recognises the importance of solidarity and unity during these difficult times, acknowledging the power of sport and in particular the Olympic Games to bring people together. Activities will be digitally-led, centred around the Olympic flame, and the resilience and strength of the athletes as they prepare for the Games. This will be supplemented by an exclusive media event in Tokyo to mark one year until the Games begin. Olympic Movement stakeholders will also be activating across their digital and social media over the coming days, to show their support for all the athletes and Tokyo 2020.

SPORTS REPORT DERBY (July 17, 2020):-Pakistan men’s squad will take part in a four-day intra-squad match from today at the Derbyshire County Ground. Pakistan men’s Test captain Azhar Ali will lead PCB Green, while Babar Azam, the Test vice-captain and captain of the white ball teams, will skipper PCB White. This is the first of the two four-day matches that the squad will play ahead of their three World Test Championship fixtures against England. Previously, the squad played two two-day matches during their 14-day quarantine period in Worcester. PCB Green: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Asad Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas and Wahab Riaz. 12th man: Imran Khan PCB White: Babar Azam (c), Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Musa, Usman Khan Shinwari and Haider Ali 12th man: Kashif Bhatti.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 17, 2020):-The iconic image of FIFA World Cup™ champions France lifting the trophy at Luzhniki Stadium is still fresh in the memory of every football fan. Exactly two years after that historic occasion on 15 July 2018, the unveiling of the match schedule for the next edition invites the football world to dream of a new beginning – one that, now, has a precise time and place to start. Al Bayt Stadium, a 60,000-capacity arena that takes its name and shape from the traditional tents used by nomadic peoples in the Gulf region, will be the stage for hosts Qatar to kick off the tournament on Monday, 21 November 2022 at 13:00 local time* (11:00 CET). The local kick-off times for group matches have been set for 13:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 22:00, with the simultaneous kick-offs for the last round of group games and knockout-stage timings being 18:00 and 22:00. Khalifa International Stadium will be the setting for the play-off for third place on 17 December. The final will kick off one day later at 18:00 at Lusail Stadium in front of an 80,000 crowd. With the aim of providing all teams with optimal rest between their matches, the group stage will last 12 days and, with four matches per day, it promises a full and exciting schedule for fans. The tournament’s compact nature – with no air travel needed to move between the venues – will allow organisers, for the first time, to optimise specific match demands for the benefit and comfort of fans, teams and media. This will be achieved through the assignment of the group fixtures for each matchday to a stadium and kick-off time only after the final draw, currently planned for after the March 2022 international match calendar qualifying window. Once the pairings are known, the possibility will be discussed of providing a more beneficial kick-off time for audiences at home, or indeed for fans in Qatar with regard to the stadium allocation. That additional flexibility is possible without affecting any technical aspects since all stadiums are located within a compact radius and the climate is perfect at that time of year in Qatar, whether it is an early or a late kick-off. On top of that, this will potentially give fans the opportunity to attend more than one match a day during the group stage. For those eager to book their seats at Qatar 2022, hospitality sales are scheduled to start in late 2020. Ticket sales for the general public will be conducted solely via FIFA.com/tickets, where details on the timeline, phases, categories and prices will be communicated in due course.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (July 8, 2020):-The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalisation Committee has appointed Daniel Limones from Spain as the technical director. Limones was previously associated with Spanish La Liga giants Club Atletico de Madrid and was working with the club's academy in Lahore as head coach and academy manager simultaneously. He also worked with other Spanish clubs including Rayo Vallecano. As PFF's Technical Director, Limones will design and execute strategies which would lead to the development of football in Pakistan. PFF Normalisation Committee Chairman Humza Khan said that the appointment was a step in the right direction by the PFF. "We're excited to have Limones aboard. We fully believe his addition to the setup will help Pakistan football to flourish, “he added. Limones said that there was massive potential for football in Pakistan to grow. "The opportunities and possibilities are innumerable, since football in Pakistan start. Players, coaches, clubs and the federation can be shaped in future for the new generations, working together under the banner of PFF, “he concluded.

SPORT REPORT ISLAMABAD (July 8, 2020):-Pakistan men’s national cricket team have started their preparations for the Test and T20I series against England with a two-day inter-squad scenario-based practice match played on 5-6 July at Worcester. The team returned to training on 30 June after a gap of more than three months and captain Azhar Ali believes the scenario-based match will prove to be beneficial for the players to ready themselves for the all-important three ICC World Test Championship fixtures against England, which commence from 5 August at Old Trafford. “We are playing cricket after a long time and it is not going to be easy to start at full-strength,” Azhar told pcb.com.pk. “We have to go step-by-step and I am very happy that the boys utilised their practice time of four days well.” “No matter how much you practice, playing matches is always more beneficial. If you spend half of your practice’s time in scenario-based matches, it gives you a lot more confidence. Playing this scenario-based match was very important for us.” In what will be their third Test series in England in the last five years, Pakistan will take on the hosts in a three-match series. The first match will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester, followed by the last two Tests at Ageas Bowl, Southampton, which start on 13 and 21 August. The Pakistan captain is optimistic that his players will be ready for the challenge when the series arrives. “Both batsmen and bowlers have adapted to the conditions. The wind was troubling the bowlers initially but they overcame it, which was heartening. Definitely, the players are going to need some time to adjust. Despite the break, they are in good shape which is a positive sign for us. “All the batsmen batted quite well especially Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq and Abid Ali seemed in total control, Shan Masood adapted well to the conditions and Mohammad Rizwan looked in good shape. “Mohammad Abbas is our experienced bowler and his presence is of advantage for us as he also keeps guiding the youngsters. He is someone who can be a very important member of the attack for us. Naseem Shah bowled very well in the scenario-based match. He will attain more control as he continues to bowl.” To prevent the proliferation of Covid-19, the International Cricket Council has introduced changes in its playing conditions which do not permit the bowlers from shining the ball with saliva and handing their sweater, cap or hat to the umpires while bowling. Azhar said that adjusting to the new regulations was a little difficult, but the practice games will help in the adaptation. “There are some areas where we have to adapt,” he said. “In this weather, it was only the fast bowlers who sweated so it was a challenge for us to shine the ball. But, that’s something which will change as the weather continues to get warm. The most challenging thing, however, was that the bowlers had to put their sweaters and caps outside the boundary rope because of which managing the over rate was getting a bit difficult. Especially, in Yasir Shah’s case he fields in the circle but had to go all the way to the boundary to put his things. But, I am comfortable that we will adapt to these changes as we still have a two-day and two four-day matches to play and they will help us.” Pakistan are currently under a 14-day quarantine period, following which they will travel to Derbyshire on 13 July.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 7, 2020):-Former Supreme Court judge Mr Justice (retd) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, in his capacity as an independent adjudicator, will hear Umar Akmal’s appeal on 13 July at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore. Notices for the hearing have been issued to Umar Akmal and the PCB. The hearing was previously scheduled for 11 June but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19-enforced lockdowns in the city. On 27 April, the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel, Mr Justice (retid) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, had banned Umar Akmal for three years after finding him guilty of breaching Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two separate incidents. The PCB will make no comment on the matter until Justice Khokhar has announced his decision.