Aisam-ul-Haq to participate in the Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Tournament By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Hameed-ul-Haq and Ahmed Choudhary have won their match on Tuesday in the 5th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Tournament 2019 at Islamabad Tennis Complex G-6 Islamabad. Results (Men Singles Round-1): Barkat ullah beat Nauman Aftab 6-4, 6-1 Hameed ul Haq beat Ahmed Kamil 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Ahmed Choudhry beat Khursheed Abbassi 6-0, 6-2 Shezad Khan beat Ibrahim omer 6-0, 6-2 Yousaf Khan beat Rashid Malik 6-1, 6-4. Men Doubles (Round-2): Muzzamil Murtaza/Muddassir Murtaza beat Rashid Malik/Sikandar Hayat 6-2, 6-2 Aisam ul Haq Qureshi/Aqeel Khan beat Col Shahid/Usman Ejaz 6-1, 6-1. Boy’s Under-18: Mahatir Mohammad beat Ahtesham Arif 6-2, 6-2 Mohammad Shoib w/o Afham Rana Farman Shakeel beat Sami Zeb 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 Uzair Khan beat Hasan Ali 6-3, 6-4 Nalain Abbas beat Parbat Kumar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 Hamid Israr w/o Abdul Hanan Khan Osama Khan beat Zain ch 6-0, 6-0 Noor e Mustafa beat Kashan Umer 6-0, 6-1 Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Ahmed Nael 6-3, 6-0 Hasheesh Kumar beat Talha Khan 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 Faizan Shahid bt Hamza Asim 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 Aqib Hayat beat Yahya Musa Luni 6-3, 6-0.   Boys/Girls 1st round U-12: Ali Zain beat Marukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Ali beat Orhan Sohail 4-0, 4-1 Ahtesham Humayun beat Shahsawar Khan 4-1, 4-0   Boys/Girls 1st round U-10: Han li De w/o Jamal Shah Haziq Asim beat Aqtan Bekeshov 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Roman beat Lalarukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Abdul Wasay W/O Anees Ahmed Mohammad Shayan w/o Hamad Shah

International squash, Tayyab and Farhan jump into semifinals By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Duo of Pakistani players Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Mehboob jumped into the semifinals of Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International squash tournament by overcoming their respective opponents in quarterfinals at Mushaf Squash Complex on Tuesday. Semifinals will be played on Wednesday in the four-glass-wall court of same arena. In the first men’s quarterfinal, Pakistani guy Asim Khan succumbed by the high ranking Egyptian player Youssef Ibrahim 3-1 after a thrilling contest. Match was leveled 1-1 after two games, as the score was 13-11 and 11-13 respectively. Asim was looking bit tired in the rest of two games and allow his opponent to play strokes openly. He lost next two games at 5-11 and 9-11, as he had upper hand in both game in starting. Meanwhile, in the second quarterfinal, Farhan Mehboob displayed excellent skills of the game and did not allow his compatriot Farhan Zaman to settle the feet in the court and won the match 3-1. Son of Mehboob Khan’s game was a blend of powerful forehands, backhands and classic nicks during 20 minutes game. The final score-line was 11-2, 4-11, 11-5 and 11-3. Now, Farhan will take on top seed Youssef in the semifinals on Wednesday. In the third quarterfinal, Pakistan number one player Tayyab Aslam overcame Yahya Elnawasany from Egypt in straight games 3-0 in just wasting 20 minutes in the court. Mohammad El-Sherbini beat Rui Soares from Portugal in same style 3-0 in the fourth quarterfinal. In the second semifinal Tayyab will meet Mohammad El-Sherbini.    Results (Men’s Event):-  YoussefIbrahim (Egypt) beat Mohammad Asim Khan (Pakistan) 13-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-9 (44 Min) Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) beat FarhanZaman (Pakistan) 11-2, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3 (20 Min)  Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) beat Yahya Elnawasany (Egypt) 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (20 Min) Mohamed ElSherbini (Egypt)beat Rui Soares (Portugal) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (34 Min) Results (Women’s Event):         HanaMoataz (Egypt) beat Farah Momen (Egypt) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (25 Min) Farida Mohamed(Egypt) beat Waen Li Lai (Malaysia) 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 15-13, 11-8 (40 Min) Meena Hamed (Egypt) beat Cindy Merlo (Switzerland) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 (32 Min)  Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat Nadia Pfister (Switzerland) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (16 Min).  

England beat Pakistan by 29 runs in first T20 Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Bismah Maroof’s gutsy half-century was in vain as England Women beat Pakistan Women by 29 runs in the first of the three T20Is at Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. The Pakistan captain scored a 58-ball 60, hitting five fours. Pakistan lost both openers in the first five balls of the run chase as the scorecard read one for two at the end of the first over. The problems compounded when they lost two wickets in the last three balls of the Powerplay, which left them reeling at 47 for four. Bismah, over the course of her 11th T2oI half-century, led the rearguard effort by knitting a 46-run partnership with Umaima Sohail, who hit two fours and a six in her 14-ball 21, while her 60-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz (22 off 24) brought Pakistan closer to victory. She was the last Pakistan wicket as the hosts were bowled out on 125 in 18.4 overs. England’s Sophie Ecclestone shone with the ball taking three wickets for 21 runs, while the other notable performance came from Freya Davis, who took two wickets at the cost of 18 runs. Reflecting on her innings and the match, Bismah Maroof said: “I was looking to keep the scoreboard ticking by targeting bad balls and rotating the strike. My target was to stay at the crease till the end. “It was a batting-friendly wicket and we missed the trick by not constructing lengthy partnerships. We are doing well in bits and pieces but we are unable to make the most of the chances that we get. “I am backing these girls to bounce back in the next match as this unit has put remarkable performances in the past. This match has given the group the belief that we can chase down targets. There were some lapses in the fielding department today and we will try to cut them in the next two matches.” That England had scored an imposing 154 for four, after being put into bat, was largely due to a blistering 39-ball 53 by wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones. Over the course of her second half-century in the format, Jones, who struck 10 fours, provided a solid foundation. She knitted a 58-run partnership for the second-wicket with Tammy Beaumont (30 off 29) which helped England recover from an early dismissal of Danni Wyatt, who made run-a-ball six, in the fourth over. Speaking about her innings, Amy Jones said: “It's not an easy pitch to score quickly on, and I think the opening few overs are probably the best time to bat. “Pakistan were disciplined with the ball and they didn't make it easy so I think we did well to get up to 160, but we perhaps would have liked a few more. “The wickets in Australia at the World Cup won't be too similar to this but the important skill is adapting and hopefully adapting to these wickets will stand us in good stead for the World Cup.” The partnership was broken by 15-year-old debutant Aroob Shah. The leg-spinner accounted for Jones’ wicket in the 11th over and was the most-economical bowler from her side with 13 dot balls in four overs. She returned one for 21. For her exploits with the bat, Jones was named player of the match. Middle-order batters Natalie Sciver and Heather Knight made the most of the platform provided by Jones. Sciver made an unbeaten 29-ball 34 – hitting a six and a four – while Knight facing five deliveries of the final over of the England innings cracked three fours on her way to 13 not out. All-rounder Nida Dar was the successful bowler for Pakistan with two wickets for 30 runs in four overs. The second T20I will be played on Thursday. Scores in brief: England Women 154-4, 20 overs (Amy Jones 53, Natalie Sciver 34 not out, Tammy Beaumont 30; Nida Dar 2-30) Pakistan Women 125 all-out, 18.4 overs (Bismah Maroof 60, Sidra Nawaz 22, Umaima Sohail 21; Sophie Ecclestone 3-21, Natalie Sciver 2-12, Freya Davis 2-18) Result: England Women won by 29 runs

SISJA honours visiting journalists with Excellence Award  Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI:-The President  and the members  of  South  Asian  Sports  Journalists  Association  (SISJA) honored  the  visiting spor­ts journalists from Sri Lanka and other  countries with the "Excellence  Award" on historic  occasion of revival Test Cricket after 10 years at the soil of Pakistan at Media Center Hall of Pindi Cricket Stadium. On this occasion, President SISJA Asghar Ali Mubarak thanked the international media especially media friends from Sri Lanka, who came in Pakistan to cover game of cricket. He said that the entire Pakistani nation was feeling proud of reviving international cricket in the country after over one decade. The ceremony was attended by representatives of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), Pakistan Sports Writers’ Federation (PSWF) and Rawalpindi Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA). The veteran sports journaliss Asghar Ali Mubarak organised the ceremony on behalf of SISJAand RISJA with some renowned senior sports journalists including Abdul Mohi Shah, Abdul Jabbar Faisal, Rizwan Ehsan Ali aka Joji, Gabriel de Souza, Mohsin Ijaz, Zulfikar Baig, Arif Mehmood Khan, Nasir Aslam Raja, Rozina Ali, Sadia Rafay, Shakir Abbasi, Shakeel Awan, Nasir Abbas Naqvi, Malik, Khurram Shahzad, and others. Hosts journalists of twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad presented the awards and souvenirs to visiting journalists from Sri Lanka and Karachi. The fonder founder member RISJA Abdul Mohi Shah hoped that the Excellence Awards would remind the visiting journalists of their presence on the return of international cricket to Pakistan in the rest of their journalistic career. Asghar Ali Mabarak also thanked all the journalists for sparing their time for the Excellence Awards ceremony. The visiting journalists from Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi and Lahore also received their memento. These included Shahid Hashmi, Saveera Pasha, Mirza Iqbal Baig, Tariq Saeed, Syed Yahya Hussani, Khalid Hasan Khan, Farhan Khan. Young local journalists Amber Ali, RozenaAli, Bushra Gull, Shah Khalid Hamdani, Faisal Javeed Mughal and Abdul Wajid were also given awards to encourage them in the field of sports especially in cricket. Name of Sri Lankan Journalists, who received awards: Chamila Karavta, Ishra Kodikara, Oshitha Warakapitiya, Damith Weerasnghe, Andrew Fernando, Samsudeen Aroos, Udara de Silva, C Dissanayaka, Aboobucker Askar, Wichithra Weerasinghe DG Danushka Aravinda, Asela Vithana, Prince Gunasekara, Althaf Navaz and NV Anthony. Beside media persons, some awards were also distributed  among the cricket lovers including Chach Domestic Cricket Mohammad Yameen Gongha, Mama Cricket Khalid Jalil, Baba Cricket Yasir Hakim, Dada Cricket Dr. Abdul  Rehman,  Rescue  1122, Massood Khan.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-NBP T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2019 Grade II will start from Monday (December 18, 2019) and Grade I from December 25 in two different cities Attock and Bahawalpur respectively. According to an official, Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) is organizing National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Twenty 20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2019 Grade I and Grade II, which will be held in Bahawalpur and Attock separately from December 25 to 29 and December 18 to 22 respectively. Sports In-charge NBP Iqbal Qasim, SVP/DH CSRD NBP Iqbal Wahid, AVP CSRD NBP Asif Ahmed Khan and Director Marketing PBCC Syed Salman Bokhari, Wing Head Media publication NBP Ibne Hasan and Director Information and Coordination Asif Azeem addressed the media at a local hotel on Monday. Jehangir Manager (CSRD) NBP and Junaid Iqbal Officer (CSRD) NBP were also present on the occasion. On this occasion former Test cricketer Iqbal Qasim said that cricket was the most celebrated game in Pakistan. "Blind cricket in Pakistan has been recording phenomenal achievements after winning two Cricket World Cups and numerous international bilateral series, "he added. Meanwhile, Iqbal Wahid said that NBP had been very much interested in promotion of sports in Pakistan and been funding the game development at grass-root levels. “NBP is sponsoring T20 Blind Cricket Trophy for last 10 years and will continue its support in future too,” he said. Syed Salman Bokhari thanked NBP on sponsoring one event of blind cricket once in a calendar year and said that this initiative helped in the promotion of cricket for the blind across the country and this is reckoned as the largest domestic event of blind cricket as 16 teams are participating in the event.He informed that Grade-2 champion will be promoted to Grade-1 while last team on points table in Grade-1 will be relegated to Grade-2. At the end of the press briefing, the officials of NBP presented a sponsorship cheque Rs1.1 million for the two Grade I and II events.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 16, 2019):-The 5th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Championship kicked off here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) G-6/4 on Monday. All top seeded players of main draw moved into next round after beating their rivals. As many as 185 players from all over the country are participating in different categories of the national tennis fixture that has one million rupees prize money.   Results: Men’s Singles (Round-I): Aqeel khan beat Faizan Fayaz 6-1, 6-1 Sami Zeb beat Shakir ullah 6-3, 6-0 Israr Gul beat Danish Ramzan 6-2, 6-3 Asan ullah beat Ejaz Khan 6-1, 6-3 Heera Ashiq beat Ayaz Khan 6-0, 6-2 Mohammad Shoiab beat Farhad Ali Raza 6-1, 6-0 Muzzamil Murtaza beat Saqib Hayat 6-3, 6-4 Aman Atiq beat Shaheen Mehmood 6-1, 6-1 Muddassar Murtaza beat Jibran ul Haq 6-2, 6-3 Huzaifa Abdur Rehman beat Ahmed Baber 6-0, 6-0. Men’s Doubles (Round-I): Amed baber/Saqib hayat beat Ahmed Kamil/Nauman Aftab 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 Rashid Malik/Sikandar Hayat beat Danish Ramzan/Asad Bachani 6-0, 6-2 Shazad Khan/Ahmed Choudhry beat Shakir ullah/Asad Ullah 6-0, 6-0   Heera Ashiq/Yousaf Khalil beat Shahid Afridi/Shaheen Mehmood 7-5, 6-4 Mohammad Shoiab/Huzaifa Abdul Rehman beat Khursheed Abbasi/Aman Atiq bt 6-1, 6-2 Muzzamil Murtaza/Muddassir Murtaza beat Ejaz khan/Barkat ullah 6-3, 1-6, 10-4 Col Shahid/Usman Ejaz beat Muhammad Minhas/Ibrahim Omer 4-6, 6-4 10-8. Boys/Girls U-10: Haider Ali Rizwan w/o Hammad Shah Mohammad Haziq Asim beat Sameer Maqsood 4-2 4-0 Asad Zaman W/o Jamal Shah Haniya Minhas beat Mahnoor Farooqi 4-0, 4-0 Lala Rukh Sajid bt Awais Ali 4-1, 4-1.

Pakistan v England Women’s T20Is begin on Tuesday Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 16, 2019):-After the conclusion of the ICC Women’s Championship ODI series, the focus has now shifted to the shorter format of the game with Pakistan Women and England Women locking horns in three T20Is at Kinrara Oval in Malaysia from Tuesday. With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia just two months away, the series provides both the teams an opportunity to iron out their permutations and combinations. After having won the ODI series comprehensively, England will enter the series with their tails up. Despite having lost a three-match T20I series at home against Australia Women 2-1, England, ranked second in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, have had an impressive 2019 – winning eight of the 10 matches. The Heather Knight-led side registered sweeps over India Women and Sri Lanka Women earlier in the year, before beating West Indies Women 1-0 at home. Pakistan, having made three changes in their squad from the one that played the three one-dayers, will hope that the change in format also brings a change in their fortunes while taking inspiration from their 3-0 series win at home against Bangladesh Women in October. The Bismah Maroof-led team, seventh in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, have won six of their 11 matches this year and enter the series after securing a 3-0 whitewash against Bangladesh. Pakistan started off the year by losing to the West Indies women in Karachi 2-1 – the second match of the series was won by the West Indies in the Super Over. In their second series of the year, they were beaten by South Africa women 3-2 in a five-T20I series. Pakistan and England have come face-to-face in the format on 10 occasions in which England came out victorious nine times, while Pakistan won the 2013 encounter at Loughborough. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said: “This series provides us a good opportunity to prepare for the T20 World Cup next year. England are a quality side and we enter this series at the back of a decent run in T2oIs this year. So, this will be an exciting series. “We are looking to end this year on a high after whitewashing Bangladesh in Lahore as it will help us carry momentum to Australia. “There are three changes in the line-up from the one that played the ODI series. This will help us to have a look at all the players in contention for the T20 World Cup next year.” England captain Heather Knight said: “Pakistan are a much-improved side from when we played them in 2016. It is great for the game to see them improve, but we’ve got a job to do and these T20Is are important preparation for the T20 World Cup. “There were some positives to take from the ODI series. Sarah Glenn bowled well and a lot of the batters stood up and got big scores. “There’s definitely stuff to improve on and we want to keep getting better, plus everyone is fighting to get into the World Cup team so there’s a lot to look forward to over this series.” Squad (Pakistan Women): Bismah Maroof (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Zafar, Aroob Shah, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Irum Javed, Javeria Khan, Nahida Khan, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal and Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) Squad (England Women): Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (wicketkeeper), Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt, Fran Wilson, Freya Davies, Kate Cross, Katherine Brunt, Kirstie Gordon, Lauren Winfield, Mady Villiers, Nat Sciver, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Ecclestone and Tammy Beaumont Schedule 17 Dec - First T20I, Kinrara Oval. On-field umpires: Ghaffar Kazmi and Khalid Mahmood Sr., Reserve umpire: Kalidas Visvanadan. Match referee: Mohammad Javed 19 Dec - Second T20I, Kinrara Oval. On-field umpires: Ghaffar Kazmi and Khalid Mahmood Sr., Reserve umpire: Kalidas Visvanadan. Match referee: Mohammad Javed 20 Dec - Third T20I, Kinrara Oval. On-field umpires: Ghaffar Kazmi and Khalid Mahmood Sr., Reserve umpire: Kalidas Visvanadan. Match referee: Mohammad Javed

International Squash, Four Pakistani move into quarterfinals By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 16, 2019):-Four Pakistani players including Tayyab Aslam, Mohammad Asim Khan, Farhan Zaman and Farhan Mehboob qualified for the top-eight stage of the Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International Squash Tournament by beating their opponents at Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad on Monday. Quarterfinals of the international squash showpiece will be played on Tuesday at same venue. Pakistan number one squash lad, Tayyab Aslam defeated his compatriot Noor Zaman in straight games after wasting just 25 minutes in the court. The final score-line was 11-8, 13-11, 11-5. Earlier, local guy Mohammad Asim Khan beat English players Curtis Malik in similar style in straight games with the score-line 11-5, 11-7, 11-9, as the match lasted only 36 minutes. Meanwhile, Farhan Mehboob got rid of Pakistani players Amaad Fareed 3-2 in a well contested five games fixture. After 40 minutes play, Farhan finished the match with the score-line of 7-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5. Later on, Farhan Zaman had to toil hard to overcome Egyptian opponent Mazen Gamal 3-2, as the last game ended on tiebreak. The final score-line was 11-13, 11-9, 3-11, 11-2, 12-10. Match wasted 56 minutes. Results (Men’s Event): Youssef Ibrahim (Egypt) beat Chi Him Wong (Hong Kong) 9-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (41 Min) Mohammad Asim Khan (Pakistan) beat Curtis Malik (England) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 (36 Min) Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) beat Amaad Fareed (Pakistan) 7-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5 (40 Min) Farhan Zaman (Pakistan) beat Mazen Gamal (Egypt) 11-13, 11-9, 3-11, 11-2, 12-10 (56 Min) Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) beat Noor Zaman (Pakistan) 11-8, 13-11, 11-5 (25 Min) Yahya Elnawasany (Egypt) beat Tsz Kwan Lau (Hong Kong) 12-10,    11-8, 8-11, 11-7 (25 Min) Rui Soares (Portugal) beat Yannik Omlor (Germany) 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 (37 Min) Mohamed El-Sherbini (Egypt) beat Tang Ming Hong (Hong Kong) 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (26 Min). Results (Women’s Event): Hana Moataz (Egypt) beat Tsz-Wing Tong (Hong Kong) 11-9, 6-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7   (35 Min) Farah Momen (Egypt) beat Shahd El Refaey (Egypt) 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4 (33 Min) Waen Li Lai (Malaysia) beat Moqaddas Ashraf (Pakistan) 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 (17 Min) Farida Mohamed (Egypt) beat Saima Shaukat (Pakistan) 11-9, 11-2, 11-4 (13 Min) Meena Hamed (Egypt) beat Faiza Zafar (Pakistan) 11-7, 11-9, 11-2 (17 Min) Cindy Merlo (Switzerland) beat Anam Mustafa Aziz (Pakistan) 11-1, 11-3, 11-2 (16 Min) Nadia Pfister (Switzerland) beat Amna Fayyaz (Pakistan) 11-4, 11-5, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5 (33 Min) Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat Madina Zafar (Pakistan) 11-9, 11-4, 11-1 (20 Min). 

Pakistan stars keen to play their first Test in Karachi Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (December 16, 2019):-After having played their first Test on Pakistani soil, the national men’s team cannot wait for the second and final Test against Sri Lanka which will be played at the iconic National Stadium in Karachi. Pakistan have enjoyed a phenomenal record in Test cricket here which earned the stadium a nickname of being ‘Pakistan’s fortress in Test cricket’. They have won 21 out of 41 Tests here with only two resulting in defeats for them. With the first match ending in a draw and the upcoming Test providing Pakistan a chance to win the first Test series in the country in more than a decade and bag some crucial ICC World Test Championship points, their captain Azhar Ali is eager to lead the side at the historic venue. Azhar Ali said: “Pakistan have had an excellent record in Test cricket at the National Stadium and I can’t wait for the toss. The whole team is excited for the match.” Growing up in Karachi, opening batsman Shan Masood has had ample opportunities to play first-class cricket at the iconic stadium. The 30-year-old is eager to open the innings for Pakistan in a Test match there. Shan Masood said: “Growing up we have seen some of the best cricketing action at the National Stadium which developed my interest in the game. I remember missing my school to watch a 1996 World Cup match between Pakistan and South Africa in which Aamir Sohail scored a century. Then there was an India-Pakistan match in which Rajesh Chauhan struck a six. That match went into the final over.” Asad Shafiq, who boasts the record of most number of Test centuries at number six, is another player in the side who is well-aware of the conditions that the National Stadium offers in red-ball cricket. The Karachi-born has been on both sides of the fence. Asad Shafiq said: “I was screaming at the top of my lungs in the crowd when [Mohammad] Asif bhai got the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar at the National Stadium in a Test match. I had sore throat after the match. Asif bhai bowled an exceptional spell that day. It is a memory that I still cherish.” After having stamped his authority in white-ball cricket, Babar Azam has put up imposing performances in Tests and celebrated the return of the game’s pinnacle format with a century on the final day of Rawalpindi Test on Sunday. Babar Azam said: “I am very excited that we are playing the second Test in Karachi. I can’t wait to bat in Test whites at the National Stadium’s wicket after having played T20Is and ODIs there. I am hopeful that our batsmen and bowlers will perform to the fullest and make the series memorable by winning the last Test. “I request Karachiites to turn out in large numbers and support the return of Test cricket to the city.” It was Fawad Alam’s talismanic performances at the National Stadium in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy this year which led to a call-up to the National Stadium. The middle-order batsman scored three centuries –including 211 for Sindh against Southern Punjab – and a half-century in four matches. Fawad Alam said: “It is certainly a step in the right direction that Test cricket is returning to Karachi. The people of Karachi will come out in large numbers to support both teams, which will inspire younger cricketer to take up the game.” Over the years, Karachi has become almost like a home for Mohammad Rizwan as he represents Karachi Kings in HBL PSL. The wicketkeeper-batsman hopes that he will be able to entertain cricket fans with his glove-work and batting in the second Test. Mohammad Rizwan said: “Karachi has become my city as I have been playing for Karachi Kings. I am very happy that Test cricket is returning here. I am looking forward to grabbing this opportunity and living up to the expectations that Pakistan cricket fans have from me.” The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka begins Thursday (19 December).

Abid inks new cricket history in Pindi, match ends draw By Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI (December 15, 2019):-Pakistan’s right handed batsman Abid Ali inked new cricket history by scoring century on debut in the both formats of cricket Test and One Day International (ODI), as the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Championship fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ended in draw at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. It was good sunny day for the cricket but was too late, as the earlier all four days were disturbed by the rain in twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad, which also disappointed the cricket lover, who were keen to enjoy the game of international cricket after the huge gap of 15 years. Last Test was played in Pindi in 2004 between Pakistan and traditional foes India. It was the day of new Test Cap holder Abid Ali, who played beautiful an unbeaten innings of 109 runs. He was the fourth Pakistani players, who scored over 100 in the debut Test match at Pindi Cricket Stadium. Azhar Mehmood and Ali Naqvi scored tons in same match against South Africa while Younis Khan played 107 runs innings on debut in his second innings, as he was able to score just 12 runs in the first innings. Abid Ali has set a new world record in Test cricket and became the first batsman to make a century in ODIs and Test debuts. Abid Ali had hit century against Australia in his first ODI on March 29 this year. He became the 108th Test player in the world to score a century in his first Test. In one-day, Abid Ali already joined the club of Saleem-Elahi and Imam-ul-Haq, who scored hundred on their ODI debut before Abid Ali.   Earlier, on Sunday morning, Sri Lanka resumed their innings at 282 for 6 and declared their first inning adding just 26 in their overnight total, as the fourth day was called off with a single ball game. De Silve completed his ton and remained 102 not out in the historical fixture of international cricket. He faced 166 balls and hit 15 boundaries during his innings. Prerra remained not out on 16. Abid Ali was declared player of the match.