SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 5, 2021):-An impressive bowling performance followed by Ayesha Zafar’s unbeaten 53 set an eight-wicket win for Pakistan Women ‘A’ in the third and final T20 against West Indies Women ‘A’ at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday. With the victory, the national women’s ‘A’ team won the three-match series 3-0. Pakistan chased down 100 with ease and comfort with eight balls to spare as right-handed opener Ayesha struck three fours and a six from 57 balls. She also become the highest run-getter of the series with 93 runs from three matches.  Pakistan bowlers, once again, bowled with discipline after Rameen Shamim elected to bowl. They bowled a total of 61 dots, with pacer Maham Tariq delivering the most – 18. Maham gave Pakistan their first breakthrough in the fifth over with the wicket of Rashada Williams, who was caught at cover. Aroob Shah picked up the wickets of Qiana Joseph and Sheneta Grimmond. The 17-year-old leg-spinner finished with two for 13 from three overs. West Indies captain Reniece Boyce top-scored with 42 off 44 balls. She struck four fours. The T20 series is followed by three-match one-day series, which kicks off on 10 July. The first one-day match will be played at Sri Vivian Richards Stadium. The last two matches will be played at Coolidge Cricket Ground on 13 and 16 July. Scores in brief: Pakistan Women ‘A’ beat West Indies Women ‘A’ by eight wickets West Indies Women ‘A’ 99-6, 20 overs (Reniece Boyce 42; Aroob Shah 2-13) Pakistan Women ‘A’ 100-2, 18.4 overs (Ayesha Zafar 53 not out, Kainat Imtiaz 19 not out)  

By BIPIN DANI In the opening match of the series against the West Indies (at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua), Nida Dar became the first bowler, male or female, to take 100 wickets in the shortest format of the game for Pakistan on Wednesday. She is Asia's first and world's 5th woman cricketer to achieve this feat. The other four women bowlers to have crossed the 100-wicket mark in the format are West Indie's Anisa Mohammed (120), Australia's Ellyse Perry (115), South Africa's Shabnum Ismail (110) and England's Anya Shrubsole (102). From the Asian teams, India’s Poonam Yadav, with 95 wickets is closest to her. "That's a tremendous achievement and we as a family and myself particularly are jubilant since I being a sportsman and film writer myself always gave confidence in her abilities", her brother, Hammad Hassan, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Gujranwala, said on Thursday. Among cricketing circles, she is known as Little Boom Boom. The original nickname is attached with Shahid Afridi. "Nida is a big hitter and she proved herself being the biggest hitter and somehow caught Shahid Afridi's style and therefore being called the little boom boom". Interestingly, her father, Rashid Hassan, who is admitted in the hospital now, was also a First-Class cricketer before being a teacher. "Our father is bed ridden. He survived covid but now has an obstruction in colon. He was hospitalized after Nida reached Caribbean island. My sister wanted to quit the series and return home. We persuaded her to play there for the country. She is very close to our father and my dad also wanted her to achieve 100 wickets", the brother added.  "Unfortunately, we just had glimpses of the match since our uncle died yesterday in another city and our father is in the hospital, but yeah we knew she would do it, anxious we were all but I was confident and she did it". "We are from a well-known family of Pakistan. Our father's first cousin K. H Khurshid was secretary to Jinnah and remained president of Azad Kashmir back in 1956", the brother concluded.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 3, 2021):-England Men’s Head Coach Chris Silverwood has named a 16-player squad for The Royal London ODI Series against Pakistan starting at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Thursday 8 July 2021. Somerset’s Tom Banton will remain with the squad after joining up for the third Royal London ODI against Sri Lanka in Bristol on Sunday 4 July. Names of selected players: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Captain Moeen Ali (Worcestershire) Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) Tom Banton (Somerset) Sam Billings (Kent) Sam Curran (Surrey) Tom Curran (Surrey) Liam Dawson (Hampshire) George Garton (Sussex) Liam Livingstone (Lancashire) Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) Joe Root (Yorkshire) Jason Roy (Surrey) David Willey (Yorkshire) Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) Mark Wood (Durham) Schedule of Royal London ODI Series 1st ODI: England v Pakistan, Thursday 8 July 2021, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (1.00pm BST) 2nd ODI: England v Pakistan, Saturday 10 July 2021, Lord’s Cricket Ground, London (11.00am BST) 3rd ODI: England v Pakistan, Tuesday 13 July 2021, Edgbaston, Birmingham (1.00pm BST).

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (June 20, 2021):-The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) National Selection Committee for women named two squads women’s national and ‘A’ teams for West Indies trip, as the national side would play the West Indies in three T20Is and five One-Day Internationals, while the two countries’ ‘A’ sides would compete in three T20s and as many one-day matches. This is the national women’s team third international tour in the last four months after they played three ODIs and as many T20Is against South Africa in Durban before traveling north to Harare to play Zimbabwe, a tour that was cut short due to flights restrictions. Despite travel-related limitations around the world due of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the PCB has continued to arrange the tours to provide its national women’s team competitive cricket to prepare for this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier, followed by next year’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Pakistan and West Indies are ranked seventh and sixth in the ICC Women’s Team Rankings for ODI and T20I, respectively. Prior to this tour, the national women’s team has played three ODI series, two T20I series and featured in two ICC Women’s T20 World Cups in 2010 and 2018 in the Caribbean. The last time these two sides faced off in bilateral series was in early 2019. Pakistan came back from behind in the United Arab Emirates to win the three ODIs 2-1 and the T20I series, played in Karachi, was won by West Indies 2-1, with the second match of the series going down the wire and the touring party winning it in the Super Over. The two teams last met in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 and the group-stage match was won by Pakistan as they comfortably chased down 125 with eight wickets and 10 balls spare. That the ‘A’ side will travel to Antigua with the national side – the first instance of the two teams traveling together – provides further boost to the women’s game in the country. The players who have remained on the fringes of the national side will have an opportunity to impress the national selectors and the high-profile coaching staff ahead of the important global events. This will also be the first tour that the ‘A’ side will undertake in the post-Covid-19 world. They last travelled to Sri Lanka in October 2019 for the ACC Emerging Women’s Asia Cup. PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan: “We are glad to announce that our senior and ‘A’ women teams will be traveling to the West Indies for competitive series in a year in which they have to feature in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. “This tour presents a great opportunity to our players to further strengthen their skills by getting the desired match practice – against a quality side – under their belts and utilise it for their preparations for the World Cup qualifiers and the main event early next year that will be followed by the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. “Developing our women cricketers and providing them the required opportunities to develop themselves into world-class athletes is one of the key strategic objectives of the PCB, which we announced last year. “Our players have put in hard yards in the recent High Performance camps in Karachi and Multan and I am hopeful that they will deliver favourable results under the able guidance of head coach David Hemp.” The touring contingent will arrive in Lahore on Monday. Tour itinerary: 23 June – Departure for Antigua 24-27 June – Room Quarantine 28-29 June – Practice 30 June – 1st T20I between national sides and 1st T20 between ‘A’ teams at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium 2 July – 2nd T20I between national sides and 2nd T20 between ‘A’ teams at Coolidge Cricket Ground 4 July – 3rd T20I between national sides and 3rd T20 between ‘A’ teams at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium 7 July – 1st ODI between national sides at Coolidge Cricket Ground 9 July – 2nd ODI between national sides at Coolidge Cricket Ground 10 July – 1st one-day between ‘A’ sides at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium 12 July – 3rd ODI between national sides at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium 13 July – 2nd one-day between ‘A’ sides at Coolidge Cricket Ground 15 July – 4th ODI between national sides at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium 16 July – 3rd one-day between ‘A’ sides at Coolidge Cricket Ground 18 July – 5th ODI between national sides at Coolidge Cricket Ground 19 July – Departure for Pakistan

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (June 9, 2021):-Pakistan Cricket Board and Unilever have further strengthened their partnership with Surf Excel becoming Pakistan national men's cricket team’s official detergent partner for the year 2021. The partnership with Surf Excel covers an exciting season of home cricket including series against England, New Zealand and the West Indies. PCB and Unilever joined hands last year for a historic social awareness campaign with Lifebuoy around hygiene behavior. The budding partnership then grew into a domestic cricket partnership with Surf Excel and a yearlong Pakistan men’s cricket team partnership with Lifebuoy. PCB Director – Commercial, Babar Hamid: “Our partnership with Unilever is strengthening with the passage of time and we are delighted to have Surf Excel as our official detergent partner for Pakistan national men’s team’s home series. “Pakistan cricket fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming home season with tours from England, New Zealand and the West Indies. Our partners like Unilever are extremely valuable to us as their contributions go a long way in ensuring that we deliver top quality domestic and international events and bi-lateral series. “In the recent days, we have overcome some big challenges to ensure that the Abu Dhabi-leg of the HBL Pakistan Super League 6 takes place. We would now set our focus on our upcoming home assignments in our pursuit of further improvement in all aspects and world-class delivery of our international home season. “The passionate cricket fans of the Pakistan team both in Pakistan and around the world have a lot to look forward to and we hope to live up to their expectations both with on-field performances and top-class delivery of the home season in our own stadiums.” Unilever Director Marketing Home, Care Munir Hasan: “Surf Excel believes that ‘Jo Koi Nahi Karsakta.. wohi tow champion karta hai’. And there could not be more apt words to describe our beloved cricket team as well. “This is why we have partnered with the PCB to introduce first of its kind ‘Daaghon ka champion’ trophy, to encourage our young stars to play their best game on the field and recognize their uninhibited cricket spirit. All without bothering about the stains, after all Surf Excel hai na.”

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (June 4, 2021):-Pakistan cricket selectors have recalled four experienced players and included uncapped Azam Khan in the squads for the tours of England and West Indies. The side will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in England from 8-20 July, before taking on world champions West Indies in five T20Is that will be followed by two Tests. Middle-order batsman Haris Sohail has been named in the ODI side, while Imad Wasim has returned to bolster the T20I side. Fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah have returned to the Test side. Yasir Shah’s inclusion is subject to fitness as the wrist spinner is yet to fully recover from the knee injury that sidelined him from the Zimbabwe Tests. The selectors have retained leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood along with left-arm spinner Nauman Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan for the Jamaica Tests. Uncapped Saud Shakeel has also reclaimed his spot after missing South Africa ODIs due to an injury. Salman Ali Agha, who has lost his Test spot, has been called-up for ODIs. Fakhar Zaman has maintained his place in the original squad after being drafted as an additional player for Zimbabwe T20Is following a stellar performance in South Africa. Quetta Gladiators’ Azam Khan, the 22-year-old hard-hitting batsman, is the new face in the T20I squad. Squads (in alphabetical order): ODIs: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Haris Sohail (Balochistan), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper) (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab). T20Is: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Arshad Iqbal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Azam Khan (Sindh), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imad Wasim (Northern), Mohammad Hafeez (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper) (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sharjeel Khan (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab). Tests: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper) (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Yasir Shah (Balochistan, subject to fitness) and Zahid Mahmood (Southern Punjab). Chief selector Muhammad Wasim: “We have remained consistent in our selection and kept the same core of cricketers who have been in the set-up for a while. This is an extremely important and critical tour for Pakistan as we will be playing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as the T20Is against England and the West Indies as part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Jamaica Test will count towards the ICC World Test Championship. “As such, keeping in view the above and in consultation with captain Babar Azam and head Misbah-ul-Haq, we have tried our best to maintain the winning combinations but at the same time recalled four experienced players and rewarded uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also giving him the required confidence for the future challenges. “Mohammad Abbas has regained his form, Naseem Shah and Haris Sohail have reclaimed the required fitness standards, while Imad Wasim has been recalled considering the T20 World Cup is likely to be held in the UAE and he enjoys an excellent record there. “The return of these four players meant we had to leave some players, which is never an easy decision. But we have collectively opted for what was in the best interest of the side, taking into consideration the opponents and the requirement of the formats on the upcoming tours. “The players who have missed on selection will remain part of our strategy, and, as such, they will continue to work on their technical game at the National High Performance Centre under the watchful eyes of Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq. “Yasir Shah’s inclusion is subject to clearing his fitness test. He was sidelined due to a knee injury after the second Test against South Africa earlier this year and was expected to reclaim complete fitness for the West Indies tour. It, however, has not been the case, but we remain hopeful that he will complete his rehabilitation before the departure. “The side since the home series against South Africa have maintained an upward movement, but still there are a few lose ends that we would like to close by the end of the England and West Indies tours so that there is absolutely clarity on our compositions for the post West Indies tour engagements. “I strongly believe the changes will plug those gaps and will put us in a strong position in our endeavours to feature in the top three across all formats by the end of 2023.” Tour itinerary: 25 June – Departure for Manchester 6 July – Arrival in Cardiff 8 July - 1st ODI, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 10 July – 2nd ODI, Lord’s, London 13 July – 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham 16 July – 1st T20I, Trent Bridge, Nottingham 18 July – 2nd T20I, Headingley, Leeds 20 July – 3rd T20I, Old Trafford, Manchester 21 Jul – Arrival in Barbados 27 Jul – 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados 28 Jul – 2nd T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados 31 Jul – 3rd T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana 1 Aug – 4th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana 3 Aug – 5th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana 6-7 Aug – Two-day practice match, Guyana 12-16 Aug – 1st Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica 20-24 Aug – 2nd Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica 25 Aug – Departure

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (June 1, 2021):-Umair Saleem has won the title of 1st Night Golf Tournament that was organized by AAA Associates organized in collaboration with Garden City Golf and Country Club, Bahria Town. The event was attended by the notables from Military and different segments of the society. Among Participants are some well-known personalities like Ex-COAS Ashfaq Parvez Kiani (R), Gen Zahirul Islam (R), Gen Hilal (R), Air Marshal Asim Zaheer (R)Ex VCAS PAF, Chairman AAA Associates Mr. Sheikh Fawad Bashir, MD Lt.Col Shahzad Ali kiani (R) and Maj Gen Guftar Shah (R) also graced the event with their esteemed presence. Around 100 local residence and players participated in this night Tournament with display of magnificent lighting array make the event more attractive. AAA Associate has plan to organized similar Night Golf tournament in other cities of Pakistan to encourage this sport among local community. Golf is considered an expensive game and associated with elite section of our society. AAA Associates organized this match to put an end to this stereotype by promoting Golf sports among Middleclass community of the twin cities. They offered participants with discounted membership of the Club and inexpensive Golf Kits to encourage local community to take active part in this healthy game. After a fierce competition, the golfers with top 3 score were awarded with shields and prizes. In female category, Amna Kiani scores 42 to become Gross winner and followed by 2nd position secured by Saeeda Akhtar and Manaza with third position in the row. In men’s Gross category, Umair Saleem scored 39 to secured first position followed by Aslam Raja and Shoaib-ud-din both scored 37 holes each. Top three Net scores are Zubair Shah 38, Maj Abid and Maj General Suleman score 33 each. Chairman AAA Associates Sheikh Fawad Bashir and MD Lt. Col Shahzad Ali Kiani (R) distributed the prizes among the winners. On this occasion Chairman AAA Associate Sheikh Fawad Bashir said that AAA Associate took pride in organizing First Night Golf tournament of twin cities with the aim to bring out best talent from our local community to be recognized at National level. “We are committed to make this sport accessible for every section of society to end this perception of up-class game. Similarly in our Business niche, we are striving to revolutionize existing business model by implementing innovative practices to break stereotypes of associating big businesses with rich community, “he added. MD AAA associate Lt.Col Shahzad Ali Kiani (R) also said ‘  We encourage sports in all form as essential part of our business model to engage our internal and external stakeholder in healthy activity. AAA Associate always supports local Organization and community in organizing sport related activities. We’ll continue to offer our support for sport related activity that involve local community engagement at large level”. AAA Associate has been active in supporting various sport activity in the twin city which involves organizing Cricket, Football and other sports tournament that play vital role in encouraging local talent and promoting Healthy environment in the community.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (May 22, 2021):-A comprehensive 5-1 victory over the USA means Great Britain have moved to fifth in the FIH Hockey Pro League with a 51 per cent win rate. The USA remained in ninth position, with one match left to play [against Great Britain]. Great Britain women started strongly as they sought to impose themselves early on an USA team still smarting from their double defeat at the hands of Belgium the previous weekend. A driving run by Lily Owsley in the opening minute won her team a penalty corner but Kelsey Bing, in the USA goal, was alert to the danger. The next 14 minutes followed a similar pattern, with the Great Britain midfield and attackers probing and pushing for a breakthrough. That breakthrough eventually came in the 15th minute. The USA gave away possession in the centre of the pitch to Lily Owsley. She slipped an unselfish pass to Isabelle Petter, who shot home past Bing. Prior to that, there had been some promising signs for the Great Britain team that players were finding their connections as Susannah Townsend, Sarah Jones and Owsley all combined well to create a number of chances. Despite some spirited defending and some strong individual runs from the hard-working USA players, it was Great Britain who scored the second goal. It was Petter again who found the back of the net. It was a goal that had been coming: the Great Britain midfield were finding their connections with increasing regularity and creating all sorts of problems for their opponents. Petter’s second goal came from a penalty corner – Grace Balsdon’s strike was deflected by the midfielder past Bing. In the second half, Great Britain began to turn the screw on their opponents, pressuring the goal and forcing the USA deeper into their defensive half. The pressure was rewarded when a pass from Player of the Match Fiona Crackles found Sarah Robertson, who was able to slot the ball home. The fourth goal came from a penalty corner strike by Anna Toman. The initial shot was helped on its way by the outstretched stick of Nicole Woods. The fifth goal came as the space opened up across the pitch as the USA went in search of a goal. Great Britain were able to take advantage of the gaps and Elena Rayer was on hand to shoot home after good build up play by Laura Unsworth and Sarah Jones. The USA scored a consolation goal when Kelsey Briddell flicked the ball high past Hinch after a penalty corner shot rebounded freely into the circle. While Great Britain will be pleased with the result, the fact that they had 23 shots, 10 penalty corners and 46 circle entries will be of concern to the Head Coach and his team. Speaking at half time, Head Coach Mark Hager had called on his players to make the most of the opportunities they were creating. Player of the Match Fiona Crackles said: “We are just super happy to get so many goals. Normally we have a lot of near misses. We had real fire in our belly. We have been working hard on being ruthless. "It's great seeing things that we are doing in training coming together in the matchplay." Captain of the USA, Amanda Magadan: "Great Britain put out a good hockey performance but we gave a few things to them as well. It is good to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. "Just being able to build on our game from Belgium. We need to take away the positives but also take the harder feedback to. Great Britain are one of the best in the world, so that is who we want to play."

SPORTS REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (May 22, 2021):-The 47th FIH Congress session, where hundreds of delegates from all over the world gathered in virtual forum to discuss important matters regarding the global status and development of hockey, has ended with various crucial decisions. In the closest of votes, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra of India was re-elected as President of the FIH, being awarded a second four-year term. Of the 124 votes submitted by member National Associations, Dr Batra attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 63 votes to the 61 given to Marc Coudron of Belgium. Dr Batra will hold the position until 2024. “I would personally like to thank all of the National Associations for showing faith in me by electing me for a second term as President of FIH”, said Dr Batra, who congratulated Marc Coudron on his campaign. “I pledge my assurance to you all that I will work towards my election priorities over the next three years.” In addition to Dr Batra’s re-election, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were both re-elected to the FIH Executive Board as women’s members. Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy received 70 and 66 votes respectively, just ahead of Inez Cooper who received 63 votes. Tayyab Ikram and Erik Cornelissen were re-elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board as men’s members. In the President’s Report to Congress, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra detailed the efforts made by the FIH since the previous 46th FIH Congress that took place in New Delhi, India in 2018, referring to the launch of various new events including the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Nations Cup and FIH Hockey5s World Cup as well as the approval of the eight-year global hockey calendar. Dr Batra also talked about the progress made in terms of development, promotion – in particular the success of the Watch.Hockey app -, governance and sustainability, referencing the commitment to develop a water-less turf for hockey in the years ahead.    In his report, FIH Chief Executive Officer Thierry Weil highlighted the 225 courses that had been organised by the FIH Academy over the past year and the 50 projects completed through the Olympic Solidarity scheme. With 2 million USD invested, development remains top priority for the world governing body. Additionally, the State of the Game survey revealed that global participation had risen from 29.6 million to 30.1 million, with fantastic growth being achieved in ParaHockey / Hockey ID, where participation has doubled thanks to support from the Continental Federations (CFs) and National Associations (NAs) The significance of the FIH Hockey Pro League and Hockey5s were also raised, with Thierry Weil stating that the former is well on its way to fulfilling its mission to promote hockey worldwide despite the challenges of the COVID-19 global health pandemic, while the latter will mark itself as a wonderful ‘entry gate’ to the sport that will serve to complement – not replace – the 11-a-side and indoor formats. The rise of E-sports and gaming was also flagged by the FIH CEO as an area for potential expansion in the future. The FIH Financial Report was also submitted to Congress and subsequently approved. The significant investment made into the launch of the FIH Hockey Pro League resulted a loss of 1.5million CHF for the 2019 edition, with 2020 breaking even. Due to signed contracts in place, both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the FIH Hockey Pro League are set to achieve profitability. Signed contracts for the next Women’s and Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup events in 2022 (Women – Spain & The Netherlands) and 2023 (Men - India) are set to generate around 7million CHF in profit for FIH. The financial statements for 2018-2019 were prepared by auditor Ernst & Young, which was re-appointed by Congress for the coming period, and circulated to all NAs and CFs ahead of Congress. The Congress approved applications for membership from three National Associations, with Timor Leste Hockey Federation, Hockey Association of Gambia and Saudi Arabian Hockey Federation all being accepted after the Executive Board expressed its satisfaction that their applications met the requirements of the Statutes. Congress approval means that the number of Member Associations of the FIH has risen to 140. A vote on the admission as FIH Member of a new National Association in Indonesia, which is recognised by the Indonesian NOC, was unable to proceed as Congress did not ratify the decision to expel the current National Association, which had not fulfilled their obligations. The Congress ratified some amendments to the FIH Statutes, including the use of gender-neutral terms throughout the Statutes themselves, as recommended by the Women in Sports Committee’s review of the FIH Gender Equality Policy. In anticipation of future virtual competitions or activities, E-Games were also added to the Statutes in order to extend FIH’s purpose and powers. The subscription system to the FIH, which remains unchanged to previous years, was also ratified by Congress. In line with the existing FIH Statutes, the appointment of George Bennett as the President of the FIH Judicial Commission – a group of legal advisors that acts as mediator in FIH legal matters – was ratified by Congress. George Bennett has held the position since 8 May 2020, taking over the role following the sad passing of previous incumbent Annabel Pennefather, one of many whose memory was honoured by a moment of silence at the start of session. While the vast majority of the FIH Award winners were revealed on Friday, the FIH President’s Awards – which are given to individuals for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were saved for the Congress session itself, with 10 awardees being revealed. Pawan Munjal: Joined Hero Honda Motors in the early 1980s and took over as Managing Director of Hero Honda Motors in 2001, successfully overseeing the company's transition from Hero Honda to Hero Motocorp in 2011. Francesco Ricci Bitti: An Italian sports administrator and former President of the International Tennis Federation, Francesco Ricci Bitti was a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Council and is the current President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. Maureen Craig-Rousseau: Joined the FIH Executive Board in 2014 and has over 30 years experience serving the sport in various administrative roles, being Director and Vice President of the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) and a hugely experienced Tournament Director and Technical Official. Shri. V Karthikeya Pandian: Private Secretary of the Chief Minister of Odisha, the Indian state that has and continues to be a huge champion of the sport of hockey. Yoshida Motohito: Known as the father of Japanese hockey, Yoshida Motohito is the Honorary President of Asian Hockey Federation as well as being a former Chair of the AHF Promotion Committee and former President of Japan Hockey Association. Nii Quaye-Kumah: A well respected Technical Official from Ghana, Nii Quaye-Kumah has been active at numerous world level events down the years, who has also had a distinguished period of service with Ghana Hockey.  David G Collier: An English sports administrator in hockey and cricket, David G Collier is a former international umpire and respected Technical Delegate who was the Chair of the FIH Rules Committee until this Congress, when the term of office ended. Roger St-Rose: A former Trinidad & Tobago international player, umpire and Umpires Manager, Roger St-Rose has also been on various FIH and PAHF Officials committees in the latter part of his 40+ year involvement in the sport. Bob Claxton: The Secretary General and Treasurer of the Oceania Hockey Federation, the Australian has a 60+ year association with the sport and has been instrumental in the growth of hockey in the Pacific Island region. Kim Myung Sung: An Executive Board member of Asian Hockey Federation and Chairman of AHF Governance Panel and member of the AHF Finance committee who is also vice president of the Korean Hockey Association.   There was also a special honour for Dr Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who was the recipient of the FIH President’s Award for Peace and Friendship.  “This award belongs to the whole of the IOC and the entire Olympic movement, because without the support of so many, the achievement of peace and friendship in sport could never be accomplished”, said the IOC President, in a specially recorded acceptance video.  “The purpose of the IOC was always to promote peace and friendship through sport. It remains the overarching mission of the IOC and the Olympic movement to this very day. We can only make the world a better place through sport if we care for one another through solidarity. This is why I would like to thank the FIH and the hockey family across the globe for demonstrating that solidarity runs strong in our Olympic community.” In a separate message recorded to mark the start of the 47th FIH Congress, Dr Bach described the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as being “the light at the end of a very dark tunnel”, whilst also praising the efforts of the FIH Hockey Pro League to show that international sporting fixtures can be staged safely in these difficult times.  Closing the 47th Congress, re-elected FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra thanked everyone who took part in the 47th Congress, stating: “Although we have been unable to meet in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, I still believe through your support we have been able to have a successful Congress. I offer my congratulations to the re-elected members of the FIH Executive Board and wish them well for the next term. I would like to place on record my gratitude to all hockey stakeholders, including commercial partners, sponsors and broadcasters, media, press, athletes, teams, coaches and especially volunteers, who are the backbone of hockey.”

SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (May 22, 2021):-West Indian famed T20 batting duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Johnson Charles were submitted as replacement picks by Multan Sultans in an online session held with the franchise representatives on Tuesday evening. The hard-hitting left-hander Hetmyer will be making his HBL PSL debut while the wicketkeeper-batsman Charles has represented Quetta Gladiators as well as the Sultans in earlier HBL PSL editions. Earlier, it was decided that all teams will be allowed 20-member squads and the teams submitted a total of 12 picks which included replacement as well as the 19th and 20th player submissions for some of the teams. Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars have not made selections for their 20th player which they will make later, if needed. Besides Hetmyer and Charles, Sultans also picked Hammad Azam and Mohammad Waseem (UAE). The Gladiators chose Jack Wildermuth (Australia), Jake Weatherald (Australia), Zahir Khan (Afghanistan) and Khurram Shehzad as their picks. Qalandars picked Tim David (Singapore) and Sultan Ahmed from UAE. United added Mohammad Akhlaq, Zalmi added Bismillah Khan and Kings added Mohammad Haris Khan to their respective squads. HBL PSL 6 squads for Abu Dhabi-leg: Final squads (in alphabetical order): Islamabad United – Shadab Khan (c), Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Ali Khan, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Zafar Gohar and Zeeshan Zameer Karachi Kings - Imad Wasim (c), Abbas Afridi, Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Chadwick Walton, Danish Aziz, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Haris, Thisara Perera, Najeebullah Zadran, Noor Ahmed, Qasim Akram, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood and Zeeshan Malik Lahore Qalandars – Sohail Akhtar (c), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shakib al Hasan (replacement to be announced shortly), Salman Ali Agha, Seekuge Prasana, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed (replaces Joe Burns), Tim David, Zaid Alam and Zeeshan Ashraf Multan Sultans– Mohammad Rizwan (c), Hammad Azam, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan Snr, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Umar, Obed McCoy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Shahid Afridi, Shahnawaz Dhani, Shan Masood, Shimron Hetmyer (partially available), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah, Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Muhammad Waseem Peshawar Zalmi– Wahab Riaz (c), Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Bismillah Khan, David Miller (partially available), Fabian Allen (partially available), Fidel Edwards (partially available), Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Rovman Powell, Waqar Salamkheil, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, and Umaid Asif Quetta Gladiators – Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Abdul Nasir, Andre Russell (partially available), Anwar Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Hassan Khan, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood and Zahir Khan