Pakistani players to participate in the Davis Cup Juniors, and Billie Jean King CupSports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The two Pakistani tennis teams for Davis Cup Juniors, and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors reached Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka and they held a practice session on the clay courts., as the event will be played from February 19 to 24, 2024.According to an official of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Pakistan boys and girls are well-prepared for international junior tennis events. The Davis Cup will get underway from February 19 (Monday).Davis Cup Juniors: Aqeel Khan (coach), Hamza Roman, Mikaeel Shahbaz Ali Baig, Abubakar TalhaBillie Jean King Cup: Sara Mansoor (coach), Amna Ali Qayum, Soha Ali, Zunaisha Noor 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: An outstanding performance from a young side gave the Belgium men their first points of the season after a massive 4-3 win over Argentina in Santiago del Estero. On the women’s side the Leonas put two second-half goals past Belgium to secure their third win of this mini-tournament.On the penultimate day of action in the women’s mini-tournament in Rourkela, hosts India pulled off a massive win against the Hockeyroos, beating them 1-0. Earlier in the day, the United States put in a mammoth effort against China but could not prevent the Chinese from walking away 2-0 winners.(Women’s) China beat USA (2-0):Jiao Ye celebrated her 100th match for China in a hard-fought 2-0 win over a gallant United States. The match was fairly evenly contested, the Chinese having a slight upper hand in the first half as the Americans struggled to deal with their high press. Zixia Ou put China ahead with an eighth-minute drag flick, and Jiaqi Zhong turned away from her marker for a good field goal in the 19th. The USA had some chances, but they couldn’t find the net and China led 2-0 at half-time.The Americans gained the ascendancy in the second half despite playing most of the third quarter with 10 players. Sanne Caarls nearly grabbed a goal for the USA in that period, demanding a good save from Xinhuan Li after completely unravelling the Chinese defence. The Americans ran rampant in the final 20 minutes and had the Chinese circle under constant siege in the final five, but they simply couldn’t find the net and were left to rue missed opportunities.(Women’s) India beat Australia (1-0):Hosts India gave their fans plenty to cheer about with an historic 1-0 win, their first ever against Australia on Indian soil. The match was an end-to-end spectacle played at a blistering pace throughout, with both teams playing very direct hockey. The defensive units were tested repeatedly, but goalkeepers Zoe Newman for Australia and Savita for India were up to the task in a goalless first half. The Hockeyroos missed arguably the best chance of the half with a penalty corner against four Indian defenders in the 20th minute.The Indians dominated an intensive second half, executing an effective press and using their pace advantage on the break. They took the lead in the 34th minute when Katariya Vandana dived for the deflection off a penalty corner variation, sending the already vocal crowd into a frenzy. India continued to look dangerous on attack but with just a one-goal cushion, the match was set for a tense finish. While they were struggling to stay alive in the match, the Hockeyroos refused to concede, and they had the home fans on the edge of their seats with a flurry of opportunities and video referrals in the dying minutes. India somehow kept everything out and managed to hang on for their well-deserved, historic win.(Men’s) Belgium beat Argentina (4-3):A young Belgian side delivered a resilient performance to knock off the Argentina giants with a 4-3 scoreline. It was a fiery opening half as the mostly debutante-filled Belgian side went up 2-0 and owned the majority of the opening half chances. The opener game from a penalty stroke called after Thoams Crols’ flick hit Facundo Zarate on the Argentine goal line. Tommy Willems buried from the spot to give Belgium the lead and some momentum. The Red Lions drew blood again in the second quarter, this time from Roman Duvekot who cleverly turned and blasted in close for a 2-0 Belgium lead. Belgium’s Guillaume Hellin was sent to the sin bin for a 10-minute yellow card to give Argentina and at the death of the second quarter Tomas Domene put away a penalty corner flick to cut Belgium’s lead, 2-1. Back to full strength, Belgium continued to find ways to create chances. A baseline attack through Hellin had a pass booked for Thibeau Stockbroekx. Nicolas della Torre put an unfortunate touch past his own keeper for an own goal and for Belgium to celebrate a 3-1 lead. The Red Lions delivered a stunner at the start of the fourth as a good team build up allowed Willems to feed Thibeau Stockbroekx, who finished on his reverse with a beautiful flip over Nehuen Hernando for a fourth Belgian goal. Argentina wasted no time finding a response as Maico Casella’s one-timer blasted through Simon Vandenbrouke to halve Belgium’s lead once more. Domene got his second of the game on a penalty corner flick that rippled the mesh with two minutes left in the game. Belgium did well to manage the frenetic final moments and hang on to a big win for the youthful side. (Women’s) Argentina beat Belgium (2-0):A scoreless opening half was to the delight of a young Belgian side as Argentina were creating lots of attack but not the quality in the circle. In the second quarter Maria Granatto found a charging Celina di Santo on the opposite of the pitch and with just Elena Sotgiu’s pads to beat, di Santo floated the ball towards goal but it pinged off the crossbar. Chances continued to come for the Leonas but they continued to struggle for the quality.Argentina turned up the heat as Granatto had two chances that flew just over the bar before Agustina Gorzelany provided the relief, burying a penalty stroke for the 1-0 lead. Early in the fourth quarter Belgium did find themselves with a penalty corner but the execution wasn’t there. Argentina had a nifty penalty corner routine that freed up Gorzelany with a close-range flick and Sotgiu made a world-class stick save. Seconds after the save, a bit of chaos gave space for Sofia Toccalino to blast one in and double Argentina’s lead. Admirably, Belgium held the Leonas to just the two goals from Argentina’s 23 shots and over 60 per cent possession.

Shadab Khan (74 not out), Salman Ali Agha (64 not out) supermen of the gameSports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Islamabad United (IU) surprised Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets in the opening match of the HBL PSL Season 9 here at Qaddafi Cricket Stadium on Sunday night. Shadab Khan (74 not out), and Salman Ali Agha (64 not out, 31b, 7x4s, 3x6s) were the supermen of the game.In pursuit of 196 run target, United got off to a confident start, scoring 50 runs in the powerplay while only losing Colin Munro (5, 11b, 1x4) in the process. In the next over, skipper Shadab, coming in to bat at number three, welcomed Haris Rauf with two boundaries keeping the run flow intact.Requiring 44 off five overs, the 16th over went for 12 runs, while the next over went for 14 runs, with Shadab smashing Haris for two maximums in the over. The 18th over bowled by captain Shaheen Shah Afridi was another expensive over for the home side, as United batter Salman dispatched the left-arm pacer for a four and a six and collected 15 runs in the over.With three runs required off the final two overs, Shadab finished off the game with a six over long-on as United won the game with 10 balls to spare. Shadab returned undefeated on 74 off 41 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes, while Salman scored 64 not out off 31 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes.Earlier, after being put into bat first, Qalandars got off to a brisk start with the opening pair of Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman adding 66 runs in the powerplay. The partnership was broken by Shadab, who took the prized scalp of Fakhar (13, 13b, 1x4) in the seventh over with 67 runs on the board for the home side.Right-hand batter Sahibzada Farhan was joined by Rassie van der Dussen and the pair could add only 22 runs to the total before Sahibzada (57, 36b, 8x4s, 1x6) fell to left-arm pacer Tymal Mills in the 11th over. Abdullah Shafique came into bat at number four and struck three towering sixes during his stay on the crease accumulating 28 off 22 balls.That the Qalandars were able to post 195 for five in their 20 overs was largely due to van der Dussen’s unbeaten knock of 71 off 41 balls, which included four fours and three sixes. The South African batter, who had featured for United in the last edition of HBL PSL, brought up his maiden HBL PSL half-century in today’s game off just 31 balls.For United, Naseem Shah, who returned to competitive cricket after a gap of almost six months, returned with figures of 4-0-36-1. Leg-spinner Shadab, also returning from injury, gave away 24 runs bagging a solitary wicket in his quota of four overs. Mills was the most successful bowler for United, bagging two wickets for 45 runs in four overs.dars 195-5, 20 overs, (Rassie van der Dussen 71 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 57, Abdullah Shafique 28; Tymal Mills 2-45, Shadab Khan 1-24)Today’s Fixtures:Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (2pm)Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings, Multan Cricket Stadium (7pm)

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The OHC Bully Hockey Club, Netherlands is due to arrive in Lahore on February 18 (Sunday) to play three friendly games in Lahore and Islamabad during a week-long visit aiming to make efforts to restore the prestige of the national sport.The Oldenzaal Hockey Club (OHC) “Bully”, commonly known as OHC Bully will visit Pakistan on an invitation of Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy (KJHA) and will play three games in all with two at the historic National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, and one at the Naseer Bunda Stadium, Islamabad. The Bully hockey club will play games against Higher Education Commission (HEC) hockey team picked from the Prime Minister’s Youth Talent Hunt Program.The OHC Bully’s visit is historic in the sense that it is after a long interval of 22 years that a European hockey club will visit Pakistan and the Bully’s visit is one of the small steps towards the goal of revival of hockey. The visit may also encourage other European hockey clubs to visit Pakistan every year during the winters.Former Olympian Khawaja Junaid said that he was thankful to the OHC Bully for accepting the invitation to visit Pakistan for friendlies, adding that Khawaja Junaid Hockey club was committed to revive of hockey by nurturing talent at the grass-root level.Khawaja Junaid further said that he was not only grooming the raw hockey talent through coaching from the tender age of seven years, adding that the HEC team was picked was selected by him after trials of 25000 budding players under the Youth Talent Hunt Program.Acknowledged the role of former hockey Olympian Fareed Ahmed, who happens to be the coach of OHC Bully, in arranging the visit to Pakistan, he said “I am also connecting with the outside world to provide the right exposure to these young lads at an early age.” He said this will be a discovery visit for the youth being foreign to Pakistan’s rich hockey traditions and hospitality, expressing the hope that Pakistan will become an annual rendezvous for the European clubs and teams.The former World Champion Khawaja Junaid further said field hockey comes to a standstill during the harsh winters in Europe and European clubs visit the nearby countries like Spain to play hockey, adding that it is the time when the European teams may be invited to make Pakistan their destination as the country boasts of a mild weather during this period.Responding to a query, he said visit of a European hockey club will also help in promoting country’s tourism through sports, adding that this is also a good opportunity for showcase cultural heritage and historical ancestry to the world. Khawaja Junaid also shared that OHC Bully is almost a century-old club which was founded in 1935.Khawaja Junaid thanked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar and Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed for their support in making this visit of a European hockey club possible. 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: In Santiago del Estero, a fourth-quarter showdown allowed Argentina to draw level, 1-1, with Germany and go on to take the shootout, 3-1, for the added bonus point. Maico Casella provided the heroics in both cases, scoring a penalty stroke with 43 seconds in the game and the final shootout to seal the extra point. On the women’s side field goals from Maria Campoy and Eugenia Trinchinetti plus a flick from Agustina Gorzelany propelled the Leonas 3-1 over the visiting Germany Die Danas.Earlier in the day, the men’s mini-tournament in Bhubaneswar wrapped up with two contrasting contests – one a nine-goal thriller, and the other a tense encounter with just one goal in it.In the first match of the day, Australia’s men closed a three-goal deficit and then overtook the Dutch for a memorable 5-4 victory. In the other match, a brave performance from newcomers Ireland saw them keep out a determined Indian team until the last minute when Gurjant Singh’s solitary goal gave an elated home crowd plenty to celebrate. (Men’s) Australia beat Netherlands (5-4): Australia came from three goals down to edge the Netherlands 5-4 in an enthralling encounter. Early on it looked like Jip Janssen’s 100th and Koen Bijen’s 50th appearances for the Dutch would be memorable ones as they controlled the first half, taking their opportunities and frustrating the Australians. Duco Telgenkamp screamed in a reverse stick shot from an acute angle in the sixth minute, and Bijen got on the end of a knee-high cross to deflect home in the 12th. Australia then lost Daniel Beale for 10 minutes after an accidental stick to the head of Teun Beins was deemed dangerous, but they only conceded one goal during this period, Koen rounding off skilful team play with a simple tap-in after 20 minutes.The Kookaburras trailed 0-3 at half-time but staged another incredible comeback. Blake Glovers cleaned up the scraps off the goalkeeper’s pads in the 33rd minute after a patient build-up, and Jeremy Hayward’s 40th-minute drag flick gave Pirmin Blaak no chance of a save as it stripped the paint off the inside of the post. The fourth quarter was an electrifying affair, Hayward’s drag flick levelling the scores in the 48th minute before Glover put the Australians ahead with a rocketed drag flick in the 53rd minute. Jip Janssen then equalised for the Dutch three minutes later off a penalty stroke, but Tim Brand had the last word for the Kookaburras with a well-worked tap-in with less than 30 seconds remaining to wrap up an impressive victory.(Men’s) India beat Ireland (1-0): Hosts India’s experience made all the difference as they squeaked home in the last minute with a 1-0 win over Ireland. The Irish controlled the tempo for long periods of the match, holding possession well and declining to force their way up the pitch when safe passes were available. By contrast, India looked extremely dangerous going forward and had the best opportunities of the first half. Lee Cole made an excellent save off his feet on the left post from an early Indian penalty corner, and Jamie Carr was outstanding in goal to keep the scores locked at 0-0 at half-time.India seemed to be gaining the upper hand through the third quarter and a goal seemed inevitable, but Carr and the Irish defence kept them out. Ireland continued to frustrate India with their patience in possession, and Indian fans were made to sweat through a tense final quarter as both teams enjoyed real goal-scoring opportunities. India missed a golden chance from a penalty corner against just four defenders in the 51st minute, and Ireland broke out from that to win a penalty corner at the other end. (Men’s) Argentina beat Germany 1 - 1 (3 -1 SO): A goal with 43 seconds left in the game and a shootout finish from Maico Casella gave Argentina the bonus point after a 1-1 draw with Germany in Santiago del Estero. The first half was largely a showcase of a structured German team with an early chance for Niklas Wellen saved by keeper Tomas Santiago. Argentina’s patience on attack finally caught Germany on their heels and kept Alexander Stadler busy in goal. A Tomas Domene penalty corner flick was run down by a brave German defence line, while Casella had a drag flick fly just over the bar. A scoreless opening three quarters set the stage for a dramatic final frame that included open chances for both Lucas Martinez and Domene but both could only find the outside of the cage. A short-range aerial was expertly controlled by Raphael Hartkopf in the Argentine circle and blasted across the face of goal where Malte Hellwig brilliantly deflected in for a 1-0 Germany lead. In the final minute of the game, with 11 field players, the Leones were awarded a penalty stroke and Casella drew the game level. Nicolas Keenan and Mats Grambusch each scored for their sides, while a re-award for Lucas Toscani allowed Argentina to double their shootout lead. A miss from Johannes Große set up Casella to seal the deal. Casella made no mistake, calm and cool, to sweep the ball in on the reverse and take the bonus point and shootout, 3-1, for Argentina. (Women’s) Argentina beat Germany (3-1): Germany came out of the gate with early pressure as Charlotte Stapenhorst blasted a shot just wide of the Argentine goal. The Leonas responded later in the half with a clear take at goal through Maria Granatto but it was bravely blocked by a fully-stretched Selin Oruz. For Germany, Lisa Nolte was the beneficiary of a quick free hit but her reverse-stick blast was deflected over the Argentine net. Finally, the creative Argentine offense found a way, as a no-mercy-blast from Agustina Albertarrio found Maria Campoy at the back post for the game’s opener. From there, Argentina had a series of penalty corners but Nathalie Kubalski was up to the task to deny Valentina Raposo and Agustina Gorzelany. A second goal came on free play as Eugenia Trinchinetti had a nifty deflection on a bouncing free hit from Agostina Alonso. A trio of German penalty corners finally broke the Leonas as Nike Lorenz’s strike beat Clara Barberi to deny a shutout. Germany pressed for a second equaliser, pulling Kubalski with four minutes to go. Die Dans were then forced to defend a penalty corner with five field players and Gorzelany made no mistake burying a flick to make it 3-1.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Kiagaoge Kang from China outplayed Hamza Roman from Pakistan in straight sets 2-0 in the Boys’ Singles final of the ITF Pakistan Khawar Hyat Khan Memorial World Junior Championship Leg-1 that concluded at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex Islamabad on Saturday. The final score-line was 6-4, 6-4.In the Girl's Singles final, Kira Kalinouskaya (BLR) outclassed her compatriot Katsiaryna Dubik (BLR) 2-0 at 6-1, and 6-3 and won the Leg-1 Championships.Nageen Hyat w/o Khawar Hyat Khan, and their children Daniyal Hyat Khan, and Sadia Hyat Khan were the chief guests at the closing ceremony. Senator Salim Saifullah Khan and Iftikhar Rashid were the guests of hounor. The closing ceremony was also attended Mansoor Ahmmad Khan Deputy Director, Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), and the large number of players, coaches, parents, media persons, and tennis lovers.Results (Finals): Boys’ Singles: Kiagaoge Kang (CHN) beat Hamza Roman (PAK) 6-4, 6-4Girls’ Singles: Kira Kalinouskaya (BLR) beat Katsiaryna Dubik (BLR) 6-1, 6-3Boys’ Doubles: Dong Hyeon Euom (KOR) / Jiwan Park (KOR) beat Bilal Asim / Ahmed Nael Qureshi (PAK) 6-4, 6-4Girls’ Doubles: Gyuree Nam (KOR) / Chaewon Whang (KOR) beat Paramee Takaew (THA) / Jungke Yan (CHN) 6-0, 6-0.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistani martial art athlete, Hamza Saeed has grabbed the gold medal in the 33rd Fajr Open Taekwondo Championship after defeating Mohammad Ibrahim Hosseini from Iran by 9-1 and 14-3 in the final of the +87 kg category in Tehran, the capital of Iran.According to an official of Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), in the semifinals Hamza Saeed eliminated local player Amir Mohammad and Parham Khowari in the quarter-final. In the -54 category final, Pakistan's Shahzeb Khan was defeated by an Iranian player. In the second round of the final, the referee disqualified Shahzeb. Shahzeb won the silver medal. On this occasion, Hamza Saeed said it was a great honour for me to win the gold medal for Pakistan and be named the best player of the championship. Renowned athletes from all over the world participated in the Fajr Open, Hamza Saeed said, adding, that our head coach Yusuf Karami gave the best training to all the athletes in preparation for the event.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Local player, Hamza Roman and Kiagaoge Kang from neighbor country China set their clash in the final of the ITF Pakistan Khawar Hyat Khan Memorial World Junior Championship Leg-1 after thrashing their challengers in Boys’ Singles semifinal here at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex on Friday. All finals will be played on Saturday (February 17, 2024) at the same venue.In the first semifinal, Hamza Roman ousted second seed player Dong Hyeon from Korea in straight sets with the score-line of 6-4, and 6-2. Local guy displayed to quality tennis to secure his berth in the championship match. Meanwhile in the second semifinal, Kiagaoge Kang from China toiled hard on the court to get-rid-off Ahmad Nael Qureshi from Pakistan after a well-contested three sets match. The final score-line was 6-4, 3-6, and 6-2.Results (Semifinals):Boys’ Singles: Hamza Roman (PAK) beat Dong Hyeon (KOR) 6-4, 6-2Kiagaoge Kang (CHN) beat Ahmad Nael Qureshi (PAK) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2Girls’ Singles: Katsiaryna Dubik (BLR) beat Deniz Cakil (TUR) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1Kira Kalinouskaya (BLR) beat Stefaniya Neporent (BLR) 6-2, 3-0 (retd)Boys’ Doubles: Bilal Asim / Ahmed Nael Qureshi (PAK) beat Jun Hyeok An (KOR) / Ye Chan Choi (KOR) 6-2, 6-3Dong Hyeon Euom (KOR) / Jiwan Park (KOR) beat Howard Chan (HKG) / Xiuyuan Guo (CHN) 6-2, 6-3Schedule of finals (Saturday):Boys’ Singles: 10:00 amBoys’ Doubles: 10:00 amGirls’ Doubles: 10:00 amGirls Singles: 1:30 pm.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Pakistan Army's Saddam-ul-Haq defeated Sindh's Naveed-ur-Rehman in straight games 3-0 in the final of the 3rd Image Tursum Khan All Pakistan Tursum Khan Squash Championship that concluded at Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex Karachi on Thursday.In the women's final, WAPDA's Mehwish Ali outclassed her younger sister Mahnoor Ali 3-0. Mehwish won by eleven-five, eleven-four, and twelve-ten in just twenty minutes. Special guest Asad Ahmed and squash legend Jahangir Khan distributed the prizes among the players.Results (Finals)Men's Singles: Saddam ul Haq beat Naveed Ur Rehman (3-0) 11-7, 13-11, 11-8 (38 mins)Boys’ Under-15: Ahmed Rayyan Khalil beat Abdullah Zaman (3-0) 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 (20 mins)Women's open: Mehwish Ali beat Mahnoor Ali (3-0) 11-3, 11-7, 12-10 (24 mins)Boys’ Under-13: Fazal ur Rehman beat Mohammad Saif Khan (3-0) 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 (21 mins).

Sports Bulletin ReportPESHAWAR: The National Women's and Boys' Under-15 Squash Competitions will start on February 19, 2024 at Qamar Zaman Squash Complex Peshawar, as the tournament will be pursuing prize money of Rs. 200 thousand.According to an official, the tournament will be organized by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Squash Association. The final will be played on February 22 at the same venue Qamar Zaman Squash Complex Peshawar. It is being organized with the support of the Directorate of Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As many as 32 players will participate in each category.