Last six tickets to Tokyo 2020 secured on final day of FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-The sixth and final day of the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers has drawn to a close, and the final six tickets to Tokyo 2020 have been claimed. New Zealand's men booked a safe passage through to next year's Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 thanks to a 3-0 victory over Korea in Stratford. Great Britain's women claimed a 2-1 win over Chile in the second match of the day, a result which gave them a 5-1 victory on aggregate to keep alive the dream of successfully defending the Olympic title that they won at Rio 2016. Later in the day, Great Britain's men joined their women on the plane to Tokyo thanks largely to Alan Forsyth, who bagged a hat-trick as the hosts won 5-2 against Malaysia on the day and 9-3 on aggregate. Germany's women also booked their place at Tokyo 2020 with a dominant and impressive 7-0 win over Italy. The earlier game had seen Die Danas run out as slightly more tentative 2-0 winners, but the 9-0 aggregate score underlined their superiority over the lower-ranked European neighbours. Germany's men followed up their 5-0 first leg win over Austria on Saturday with a 5-3 triumph in Sunday's second game to earn their Olympic berth.  The final ticket to Tokyo 2020 was dramaticaly claimed by Ireland's women at Dublin's Energia Park, with the hosts claiming a 4-3 shoot-out victory over Canada in front of 6000 enthralled fans. The Green Army - silver medallists at least year's Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup London 2018 - trailed 3-1 in the shoot-out before staging a remarkable comeback before winning in sudden-death to achieve Olympic qualification for the first time in their history. Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 4, Korea 0 (New Zealand win 6-2 on aggregate) Goals from Stephen Jenness, Sam Lane and Russell Kane gave New Zealand men a 3-0 triumph over Korea in Stratford (NZL) to secure a place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The Black Sticks came into the contest knowing that a draw would be good enough to seal Olympic qualification thanks to their narrow 3-2 win in the first leg on Saturday. However, open play strikes from Jenness - who scored twice in Saturday's win over Korea - and Lane in the second quarter put the 1976 Olympic champions on course for victory before Kane's third quarter penalty corner goal put the contest beyond the reach of the visitors. Korea piled on the pressure in the final quarter, but the Black Sticks held their nerve to book a 13th appearance on the Olympic stage. London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 2, Chile 1 [Great Britain win 5-1 on aggregate] Reigning Olympic champions Great Britain defeated Chile for the second time in two days, with Sunday's 2-1 triumph being coupled with a 3-0 success on Saturday to create a comprehensive 5-1 aggregate score-line at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. Mark Hager's team did all of the damage in the first quarter, with Tessa Howard and Laura Unsworth both scoring superb backhand goals to all but guarantee a place at Tokyo 2020. Great Britain were perhaps guilty of wastefulness in front of goal for the remainder of the match, with Chile netting a consolation goal thanks to Fernanda Villagran's well taken penalty corner effort.   Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 7, Italy 0 (Germany win 9-0 on aggregate) Three goals in the space of eight minutes was enough to put an early damper on the Italian threat and send Germany women on their way to a dominant 7-0 victory. Added to their 2-0 win from the previous day, the aggregate 9-0 score underlines Die Danas' Olympic ambitions. The goals came from Cecile Pieper (2), Elisa Grave (2), Lena Micheel, Pia Maertens and Player of the Match Nike Lorenz. Italy fought hard but they found the German defence impenetrable and once the German's had the ball, their attacking movements were sharp, instinctive and precise. London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 5, Malaysia 2 (Great Britain win 9-3 on aggregate) Thanks to a 4-1 victory in the Saturday's first leg, Great Britain's men brought a healthy advantage into their second match against Malaysia and quickly added to their aggregate tally with two goals in the first period. Alan Forsyth put GB ahead from the penalty spot with his 100th international goal (Scotland and Great Britain combined) before Sam Ward added a brilliant second, catching veteran Malaysia goalkeeper Kumar Subramiam off-guard with an unexpected shot from a tight angle. Fitri Saari pulled a goal back for Malaysia in the second quarter before Ward slammed home a penalty corner early in the third period. Razie Rahim's penalty corner rocket reduced GB's match-day lead to 3-2 before Forsyth put the result beyond all doubt, sliding home from open play before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot to give his side a richly-deserved place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 3 (Germany win 10-3 on aggregate) The teams went into this game with different agendas. Germany's interim Head Coach Markus Weise wanted a stronger performance from his team, while Austria's Head Coach Tomasz Szmidt asked his players to play for their own honour. In the end, both teams will have positives. Germany scored five top class goals, all created from fast, slick passing moves and finished with style. Austria, for their part, took the game to their much higher-ranked rivals and scored three penalty corners – all from the stick of Michael Körper. The result gives Germany the chance to build on their Olympic medal tally of 11 medals, four of them gold. Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 (Ireland win 4-3 on shoot-out) For the second day in succession, over 6000 people packed into Dublin's Energia Park to witness Ireland's women take on Canada, and the home fans certainly went home happy. Following on from Saturday's score-less first leg, both teams showed a real determination to settle this contest in regular time, but excellent defending meant that the Olympic ticket would be decided by a shoot-out. It all seemed to go wrong for the home team, who found themselves facing heartbreak as Gillian Pinder and Roisin Upton failed to convert while Stephanie Norlander, Amanda Woodcroft and captain Kate Wright all scored to give Canada a seemingly unassailable 3-1 advantage. However, Ireland's never-say-die spirit once more came to the fore, with goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran keeping Brienne Stairs and Shanlee Johnston off the score-sheet while sensational finishes from Ireland's Beth Barr and Chloe Watkins sent the shoot-out into sudden-death. Roisin Upton then put the Irish ahead with another wonderful finish before McFerran denied Woodcroft, giving Ireland an incredible victory and triggering scenes of utter joy in the stadium. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Canada, who matched their higher-ranked opponents throughout but fell just short in the shoot-out.      How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Friday 25 October 2019 - Day 1 Results Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 0, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 3 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 1 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 26 October 2019 - Day 2 Results Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 2, Belgium 0 (Match 2 of 2) Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 5, Russia 0 (Match 2 of 2) Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 4, Pakistan 4 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 2 (Match 2 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3, Ireland 5 (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 27 October 2019 - Day 3 Results Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 6, Pakistan 1 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3 Ireland 1 [5-4 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2) Friday 1 November 2019 - Day 4 Results Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 5, USA 1 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 2, Chile 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 7, Italy 0 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 5, Malaysia 2 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 3 (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 [4-3 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2)

SB Report LAHORE:-Middle-order batsman Sarmad Bhatti smashed an unbeaten 171 off 218 balls as Northern posted a first innings score of 386 for seven against Sindh at the State Bank Stadium, Karachi on the first-day of the seventh-round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches on Sunday.  The left-handed Sarmad who came into bat with his team three down for 54 added 148 runs for the fourth wicket with Shoaib Ahmed Minhas (83 off 132 balls, seven fours, one six). He cut loose in the later stages, Sarmad hit a total of 11 fours and nine sixes in his innings that helped Northern post a formidable first innings score. Shehzad Azam (43 off 38 balls) added 94 runs for the seventh wicket with Sarmad before the Northern innings came to a close. Sindh in reply were 26 for no loss when stumps were drawn for the day.  The match between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab started late due to rain and wet outfield delays. Batting first Southern Punjab managed 127 runs for three in 39 overs when stumps were drawn for the day. Mohammad Umair scored an unbeaten 60 off 115 balls while opener Zeeshan Ashraf made 50 runs with the help of six fours and two sixes. Muhammad Ilyas took two wickets.  Meanwhile, the match between Central Punjab and Balochistan has been rescheduled and will now start from Monday at Itefaq Cricket Ground in Lahore.  Scores in brief:  Northern v Sindh, State Bank Stadium, Karachi  Northern 368-7, 83 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 171 not out, Shoaib Ahmed 83, Shehzad Azam 43; Jahid Ali 2-25) v Sindh 26-0, nine overs  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab, Hayatabad Sports Camp, Peshawar  Southern Punjab 127-3, 39 overs (Mohammad Umair 60 not out, Zeeshan Ashraf 50; Mohammad Ilyas 2-34) v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Sixth-round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins on Monday   Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-With four rounds remaining in the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the six teams will fight for every point, when the sixth-round of the tournament commences from Monday at different first class cricket venues, to secure a berth in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final, which will be held at Karachi’s National Stadium from 9 to 13 December. Table-toppers Central Punjab will be aiming to consolidate their position when they host Northern, who are at the bottom of the points table, at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Central Punjab, who will be without the services of Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali and young fast-bowler Naseem Shah as they head to Australia for Pakistan’s World Test Championship matches, enter the round at the back of a thrilling draw against Sindh, in which they looked certain to come out as winners for the most part of the final day’s play. Northern have struggled to click over the course of the tournament. However, they will take heart from a remarkable double-century by Zeeshan Malik. The 22-year-old struck 216 runs in Northern’s first innings against Southern Punjab at Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot, and registered the fourth best highest individual score this tournament. He followed it up with a second innings score of 59. Northern will be led by Pakistan U19 captain Rohail Nazir as Umar Amin takes a break from the leadership role to concentrate on his batting – a decision that paid dividends with the left-handed batsman scoring 156. This will be the season’s last first-class match at Iqbal Stadium. Quetta’s Bugti Stadium, which saw the return of first-class cricket after 11 years this season, will also be hosting its last fixture of the tournament, which will be live-streamed, when Southern Punjab host Balochistan. Southern Punjab will take the field under the leadership of Sami Aslam as their regular captain Shan Masood will be taking a flight to Australia on the opening day of their sixth-round fixture.  With an added responsibility on his shoulders, Sami will be hoping to stretch his good form with the bat into this fixture after the left-handed opening-batsman scored a century against Northern. Southern Punjab are ranked second at the points table and are the only other side than Central Punjab in the tournament, to date, to have won a match. Balochistan, ranked fourth, will be hoping to fill in the vacuum which will be created by the non-availability of leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who tops the charts for most wicket with 21 scalps. This absence of Yasir is bound to add more responsibility on left-arm orthodox Mohammad Asghar, who, along with the leg-spinner, returned a four-fer in the first innings of a drawn contest against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this week at Bugti Stadium. Balochistan’s Imran Butt will be on the radar of the fans after cracking a brilliant double-century in the last round. The 23-year-old scored 214 which helped him to the second spot in the list of the batsmen with the most runs this tournament. In the third match of the round, third-ranked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be hosting fifth-ranked Sindh at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s top four batsmen were amongst the run-getters in the previous round with captain Sahibzada Farhan, Israrullah, and Ashfaq Ahmed, who has the most runs this tournament, scoring half-centuries, and Adil Amin putting up a gutsy century. Sindh will also have to wary of off-spinner Sajid Khan, who took eight wickets, including a five for 36 in the second innings, against Balochistan earlier this week. Sindh must have run down the best possible back up options ahead of the sixth round after Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq and Kashif Bhatti left the side for the national duty. But, that Sindh edged out in securing a draw against Central Punjab at Faisalabad was due to Sarfaraz Ahmed’s fighting second innings half-century, which would have uplifted the Sindh’s captain confidence. That coupled with the presence of Fawad Alam, Saad Ali, Khurram Manzoor and a young and upcoming Omair Bin Yousuf in the batting lineup will make getting Sindh batsmen out a daunting proposition. All three matches will begin at 1000 at their respective venues. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy sixth-round fixtures (4-7 November) Central Punjab v Northern, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Southern Punjab v Balochistan, Bugti Stadium, Quetta Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Sindh, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad    

Netherlands seal the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 title SB Report DUBAI (November 3, 2019):-The Netherlands sealed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 title with a seven-wicket triumph over Papua New Guinea at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Using a mix of pace and wily orthodox slow bowling, Netherlands’ attack of Brandon Glover (three for 24), Roelof van der Merwe (two for 15) and Timm van der Gugten (two for 18) undid PNG’s batsmen, never allowing them to up the run rate aside from a final over blitz from Jason Kila (27 not out). Lega Siaka scored 36 but their effort of 128 for eight from 20 overs never looked enough and so it proved when the Dutch batsmen arrived at the crease. Ben Cooper (41) settled any nerves there may have been with a 33-ball knock of 41, including four fours and two sixes, before Colin Ackermann and Ryan ten Doeschate saw the team home with seven wickets and an over to spare. Netherlands ended on a score of 134 for three from 19 overs as PNG finished second. As a result of the final tournament standings, the first round groupings for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 are now confirmed with PNG, Ireland and Oman in Group A with Sri Lanka. Group B will see the Netherlands, Namibia and Scotland join Bangladesh.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 Hockey Qualifier  ISLAMABAD:-Six first-leg matches took place on Saturday, with New Zealand’s men earning a narrow 3-2 win over Korea in Stratford while the men’s and women’s teams of both Germany and Great Britain all claimed what could vital victories. The women of Ireland and Canada were also in action, playing out a draw at the Energia Park in Dublin to leave the tie finely balanced.  FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers: Day 5 – Saturday 2 November 2019 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2)   A thrilling first leg fixture saw New Zealand (FIH World Ranking: 9) twice lead thanks to two goals from Stephen Jenness only for the visitors Korea (WR:16) to draw level on each occasion through Lee Namyong's open play effort and a penalty stroke from Jang Jonghyun. The teams were all square at 2-2 going into the fourth and final quarter before the Black Sticks snatched a winner, with Simon Child firing home a field goal to give the hosts a slender advantage over Korea going into the second leg on Sunday.   Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (India win 6-5 on aggregate)  A remarkable first half performance saw USA (WR:13) cancel out India's (WR:9) 5-1 aggregate lead by scoring four times without reply to tie the match at half-time. Amanda Magadan netted two superb goals with team captain Kathleen Sharkey and Alyssa Parker also on target as the visiting Americans overwhelmed their opponents with a scintillating display. Following some half-time words of guidance from head coach Sjoerd Marijne, India were vastly improved after the break as both teams chased the goal that would send them to Tokyo. The winner arrived 12 minutes from time thanks to a terrific finish from India captain Rani Rampal, who fired high into the net after a goal-mouth scramble. USA almost pulled off a miracle in Bhubaneswar, but it is India who claim the ticket to next year's Olympiad.  London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2)  A goalless first half saw both Great Britain (WR:5) and Chile (WR:18) probing and testing each other’s defences. GB, the defending Olympic champions, broke the deadlock early in the second half with a well-taken goal from Isabelle Petter. This was followed by goals from Hannah Martin and Anna Toman, two players who put in excellent performances in this first of two matches. Chile made their own chances, including several penalty corner attempts, and captain Camila Caram said her team would be looking to capitalise on any scoring opportunity in the second leg tomorrow (Sunday 3 November)..  Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (India win 11-3 on aggregate) Home favourites India (WR:5) endured a difficult start to their second leg match, with Alexey Sobolevskiy scoring just 25 seconds into the contest and moving Russia (WR:22) to within one goal of their opponents. Despite the early set-back and their aggregate lead cut to 4-3, India bounced back in style to overpower the Russians and secure their berth at Tokyo 2020. The hosts scored three times in the second quarter thanks to Lalit Upadhyay – who was celebrating his 100th international cap today – and a double from Akashdeep Singh, putting the hosts into a 3-1 lead on the night and 7-3 on aggregate. The Russian goal was breached on four occasions after half time, with Nilakanta Sharma, Rupinder Singh (2) and Amit Rohidas confirming that the eight-times Olympic champions will indeed be present at Tokyo 2020.  Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2)  Germany (WR:4) came into their all-European encounter with Italy (WR:17) as heavy favourites but needed to show a degree of patience against a side that defended valiantly. Die Danas were guilty of missing a host of penalty corner chances before eventually getting the opening goal through Hannah Gablac, who fired home at the second attempt following good build-up play from Nike Lorenz and Cecile Pieper. Lorenz netted Germany's second goal in the final minute, converting her team's 11th penalty corner of the match. Italy will feel rightly buoyed by today's performance and know that Germany's two-goal advantage is not insurmountable.   London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2)  The opening half of this match saw Malaysia (WR:11) take an early 1-0 lead and dominate the proceedings with their speedy attack and great possessive play. However, Great Britain (WR:7) weathered the storm and kept the deficit to just the one goal. The second half was a reversal of form, with Great Britain playing attacking, fast-paced hockey. Goals for Sam Ward, Phil Roper, Alan Forsyth and James Gall puts Great Britain 4-1 up going into the second leg on Sunday.  Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2)   Following a cagey opening, Germany (WR:6) took a 1-0 lead against Austria (WR:20) with their first penalty corner thanks to a low drag-flick from Lukas Windfeder before two goals in the second quarter put Die Honamas firmly in control. Constantin Staib showed quick hands to score from close range before a stunning solo effort from Christopher Rühr - who ran half the length of the field before producing an emphatic finish - established a 3-0 lead at half time. Germany dominated throughout the third and fourth quarters, with Florian Fuchs and Timur Oruz completing the scoring as the four times Olympic gold medallists took complete control of the tie.     Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 (Match 1 of 2)  Two evenly matched teams played out the first goalless draw of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in front of a rain-sodden but vociferous crowd in Dublin. Ireland (WR:8) had the major share of possession and more scoring chances but Canada (WR:15) weathered the attacks and created their own opportunities in the second half. Both team captains, Katie Mullan of Ireland and Kate Wright of Canada have promised their teams have plans to break the deadlock in upcomimg crucial deciding match.  How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner.  FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Results Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Upcoming fixtures Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 2 of 2)

  Junaid Khan fined for breaching PCB Code of Conduct  Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) left arm fast bowler Junaid Khan has been fined 40 per cent of his match fee for violating the PCB Code of Conduct during his side’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Balochistan, which ended in a draw in Quetta on Thursday. Junaid was found guilty of committing a Level 1 offence under clause 2.6, which relates to using a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during a match. The incident occurred on Wednesday when, Junaid got involved in an argument with umpire Shamim Ansari and used inappropriate language at the end of his over, the eighth of Balochistan’s second innings. Junaid was charged by on-field umpires Ghaffar and Shamim Ansari. The player accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Mohammad Aslam. So, there was no need for a formal hearing. Meanwhile, the Central Punjab team were fined Rs 40,000 for a minimum over-rate offense against Sindh at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad on Thursday. Central Punjab were four overs short of their target and were subsequently fined by match referee Nadeem Arshad.

  Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 29 runs to go 1-0 up in two-ODI series SB REPORT   ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan women beat Bangladesh women by 29 runs in the first ODI at Gaddafi Stadium and attained an unassailable lead in the two-match series. Pakistan, after opting to bat, managed 215 all-out in 48.5 overs, thanks to Nahida Khan’s half-century. The opener scored 68 runs off 97 balls, hitting seven fours, and stitched a crucial 61-run partnership for the third-wicket with captain Bismah Maroof (39 off 43) over the course of her stay at the crease. Pakistan got off to a slow start and had only 59 runs on the board when they lost their first wicket – Sidra Amin, who scored 21 runs from 67 balls – in 20.3 overs. That they were able to post a defensible total was due to a late surge by Omaima Sohail and Aliya Riaz. Omaima scored 29 runs from 27 balls, hitting four fours, while Aliya, batting at six, scored 37 runs at a strike rate of 112. Aliya’s 33-ball stay at the crease was studded with three fours and a six. Bangladesh’s Jahanara Alam stretched her impressive form into the one-day leg of the tour as she was the highest wicket-taker in the innings with three for 44. Panna Ghosh and Nahida Akter picked up two wickets each for 12 and 15 runs, bowling two and three maidens respectively. Bangladesh stuttered right from the beginning in their run-chase and had their three batters back in the pavilion inside the first 10 overs. Sana Mir made inroads in her first over, the second of the innings, with the wicket of Murshida Khatun (four off nine) and trapped Sanjida Islam LBW for duck in the second. When debutant Sadia Iqbal accounted for Sharmin Akhter’s wicket in the penultimate ball of the 10th over, Bangladesh had lost their third wicket with only 41 runs on the board. Nigar Sultana’s half-century instilled hope in Bangladesh’s chase. But when she lost her wicket in the 47th over off Sana’s bowling, Pakistan had firmly gripped the match as Bangladesh required 40 off 21 balls Nigar hit four fours and a six and was Bangladesh’s top-scorer with 58 runs off 77 balls. Sana’s three for 49 was the best in the innings, while Diana Baig and Sadia Iqbal picked up two wickets each for 43 and 38 runs. For her exploits with the bat, Nahida bagged the player of the match award. The second ODI will be played on 4 November at Gaddafi Stadium. Scores in brief:  Pakistan women 215 all-out, 48.5 overs (Nahida Khan 68, Bismah Maroof 39, Aliya Riaz 37, Omaima Sohail 29, Sidra Amin 21; Jahanara Alam 3-44, Panna Ghosh 2-12, Nahida Akter 2-15) Bangladesh women 186 all-out, 47.4 overs (Nigar Sultana 58, Rumana Ahmed 28, Fargana Hoque 27, Salma Khatun 20, Sharmin Akhter 20; Sana Mir 3-49, Nashra Sandhu 2-28, Sadia Iqbal 2-38, Diana Baig 2-43)

Pakistan U16 claim seven wickets victory against Bangladesh U16 Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan Under0-16 overcame visiting Bangladesh Under-16 by seven wickets in the second three-day match at Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi to seal the two-match series 1-0 on Saturday. Aliyan Mehmood took three wickets, while Mohammad Shehzad and Ali Asfand claimed two wickets as Bangladesh were rolled out for 227 in their second innings before Pakistan comfortably chased down the 98-run target. On Saturday, Bangladesh had resumed their innings in the morning at 64 for one, with a deficit of 66 runs. Their captain Nayeem Ahmed was top scorer with a 136-ball 45 laced with six fours. Aliyan, the captain of the home team who bowls off-break, was the most successful bowler taking three wickets for 40 runs. Left-arm spinner Ali and right-arm medium-fast Shehzad took two wickets each for 86 and 24 runs, respectively. Pakistan suffered early hiccups in their chase as they lost two wickets with 15 runs on the scoreboard. But, an unbeaten 51-ball 43 by Abbas Ali ensured that the hosts crossed the line. Abbas’ 82-minute stay at the crease saw him hit four fours and a six. After the first three-day encounter between the two sides was played out a draw, this win helped Pakistan clinch the two three-day match series 1-0. Both teams now feature in the three-match 50 overs series starting from 4 November at the same venue. Scores in brief: Bangladesh U16 108 all-out, 44.1 overs (Radowan Hossan Siyam 50; Ayaz Shah 3-14, Ahmad Khan 2-18, Ali Asfand 2-31) and 227 all-0ut, 93.5 overs (Nayeem Ahmed 45, Tawhidul Islam Ferdus 40,Minhajul Hasan Magh 31; Aliyan Mehmood 3-40, Ali Asfand 2-86, Mohammad Shehzad 2-24) Pakistan U16 238 all-out, 85.4 overs (Ali Hasan 59, Ibrar Afzaal 47, Abbas Ali 37, Aliyan Mehmood 32 not out, Mohammad Shehzad 25; Shamsul Islam Epon 5-88, Ahosun Habib Leon 4-63) and 98-3, 22.4 overs ( Abbas Ali 43 not out, Ali Hasan 29; Ahmood Sharif 2-23) Result: Pakistan U16 won by seven wickets

Pakistan-Bangladesh face-off in two-match ODI series on Saturday SB Report  Lahore, 1 November 2019:  After securing a three-nil T20I series win, Pakistan women will aim for another clean-sweep when they will host Bangladesh women in the opening ODI of the two-match series at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. Ahead of their next month’s final round ICC Women’s Championship fixture against world champions England in Malaysia, this series provides a crucial opportunity to the Bismah Maroof-led side to get their permutations and combinations right. Pakistan are currently ranked fifth in the eight-team series and a win against England will see them secure automatic qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand by breaking into the top four. Bangladesh will take inspiration from the most recent ODI outing between the two sides in October 2018. The only ODI during Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh ended in the host’s comfortable six-wicket win. The two teams have overall played eight ODIs with Pakistan having an upper hand with five wins. The remaining three were won by Bangladesh. Saturday will also mark the first instance when Pakistan will play an ODI at the country’s home of cricket, the Gaddafi Stadium. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof: “We have two one-dayers against Bangladesh and our aim is to win both of them. The T20I series was our season-opener and we needed that win to get the momentum. Now, we have gotten it, we will look to make the most of it in the ODI series. “Our one-day team has been doing well of late and the girls are ready to confront all the challenges that come their way. It was evident in the T20I series when everyone stood up and delivered in pressure moments.”  Bangladesh captain Rumana Ahmed: “There’s a little worry in the camp after the T20I series defeat but we are looking at the positives. The ODI series present us chances to pounce back and we have a firm believe that we will do better in the upcoming two matches. “We have good performers in both departments but my observation is that our main strength will be out bowling attack.” Squads  Pakistan: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aliya Riaz, Aroob Shah, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Nashra Sandhu, Nahida Khan, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) Bangladesh: Rumana Ahmed (captain), Fahima Khatun, Fargana Hoque Pinky, Jahanara Alam, Khadija-tul-Kubra, Shanjida Akther, Murshida Khatun, Nahida Akter, Nigar Sultana (wicketkeeper), Panna Ghosh, Salma Khatun, Sanjida Islam, Shamima Sultana (wicketkeeper), Sharmin Sultana and Sharmin Sultana Supta  

Bangladesh spinners dominate, Pakistan take 130-run lead SB Report RAWALPINDI (November 1, 2019):-Ahosun Habib and Shamsul Islam claimed four and five wickets, respectively as Pakistan Under-16 were bowled out for 238 in their first innings on the second day of the second three-day match against Bangladesh U16 at KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi. The play commenced after a day’s rest as Pakistan resuming their first innings on 127 for three were dismissed for 238 in 85.4 overs taking a 130-run lead. Ibrar Afzal (47) and Aliyan Mehmood (32 not out) helped the team to post a formidable score. Ibrar’s innings included five fours and a six.   For Bangladesh, right-arm leg-spinner Shamsul Islam took five wickets for 88 in 34 overs. Ahosun Habib with his slow left-arm spin grabbed four wickets for 63 in 21.4 overs. In return, Bangladesh’s openers provided a confident start of 42 runs. At stumps, the visitors were 64 for one in 36 overs. Minhajul Hasan Magh was top-scored with a 78-ball 31, which included three fours and a six. Scores in brief: Bangladesh U16 108 all-out, 44.1 overs (Radowan Hossan Siyam 50; Ayaz Shah 3-14, Ahmad Khan 2-18, Ali Asfand 2-31) and 64-1, 36 overs (Minhajul Hasan Magh 31; Ali Asfand 1-31) Pakistan U16 238 all-out, 85.4 overs (Ali Hasan 59, Ibrar Afzaal 47, Abbas Ali 37, Aliyan Mehmood 32 not out, Mohammad Shehzad 25; Shamsul Islam Epon 5-88, Ahosun Habib Leon 4-63)