Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The 9th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Championships 2023 got underway here at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue on Tuesday.Anwar Saifullah Khan, former Federal Minister was the chief guest and Senator Usman Saifullah Khan was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony. A large number of players, including all the top players like, Aqeel Khan, Mohammad Shoaib, Muzammil Murtaza, Mohammad Abid, Barkatullah, Shahzad Khan, Yousaf Khalil, Heera Ashiq, Sarah Ibrahim Khan, Meheq Khokhar and Amna Ali Qayum are participating in the mega event. As many as 296 entries have been received in 6 different categories, Men’s, Singles, Men’s Doubles, Ladies Singles, Boys 18&under Singles, Boys 14&under Singles, and Boys/Girls 12&under Singles.Results (Day-1):Men’s Singles 1st Round: Hamid Israr bt Zaryab Khan 5-7,7-6(1), 7-6(2); Barkatullah bt M. Huzaifa Khan 6-3,6-0; Ahmed Nael Qureshi bt Huzaima Abdul Rehman 6-0,6-0; Hasheesh Kumar bt Hamza Roman 6-3,6-3; Muzammil Murtaza bt Uzair Khan 6-2,6-1; Mudassir Murtaza bt Syed Nofil Kaleem 6-2,6-1; Yousaf Khalil bt Ahtesham Humayun 6-0,6-2; M.Salar bt Abdal Haider 6-4,6-4; Mohammad Shoaib bt M. Hamza Aasim 6-2,6-3; Shahzad Khan bt Saqib Hayat 7-6(4),6-4; Mohammad Abid bt Imran Bhatti 6-1,6-0; Abdullah Adnan bt Faizan Fayyaz 6-0,6-2; Sami Zeb Khan bt Ahmed Babar 6-4,6-2; M. Talha Khan bt Abbas Khan 6-1,6-2; Aqeel Khan bt Asad Zaman 6-0,6-2;Boys Singles 18& under 1st Round: Asad Zaman bt Abdul Basit 6-3,7-6(2); Kashan Tariq bt M.Yahya 6-4,6-4; Hamid Israr bt Azan Shahid 6-0,6-0; Mustansir Ali Khan bt Waqas Janas 4-6,7-5,6-2; Ahmed Nael Qureshi bt Inam Qadir 6-0,6-3; Nabeel Ali Qayum bt 6-3,0-6,6-1;M.Salar Khan bt Rayyan Khan 6-4,6-2Boys Singles 14& under 1st Round: Muzammil Bhand bt Saqib Ali 4-1,4-0; M.Shakib bt Majid Ali Bachani 4-0,4-1Men’s Singles Qualifying Final Round: Asad bt Danish 6-1; Abbas Khan bt Kashan Tariq 6-3; Abdal Haider bt Rafay 6-4; Huzaima Abdul Rehman w/o Hamid; Waqas Malik bt Azeem Khan 6-3; M. Huzaifa Khan bt Roshaan; Zaryab Khan bt Ilham Khan Wazir 6-4; Jibran ul Haq bt Aadil 6-2.

Germany, France, India qualify for semifinals: Pakistan to meet Australia on ThursdayAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Spain’s 15 minutes game in the 3rd quarter overwhelmed all the efforts and strategies of Pakistan by scoring three goals in a quick succession by Pol Cabre on the 6th and 7th penalty-corner here at National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil here on Tuesday in the last quarterfinal of the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023.Pakistan earned lead 1-0 when skipper Abdul Hanan Shahid netted the ball in the 4th minute of the second quarter, as they maintained their lead in the first half. The third quarter was a nightmare for the Pakistan, as the Spanish players took the full advantage of errors, which were made by Pakistan’s defenders. The final score-line was 4-2.Germany beat Argentina (2-1):Defending champions Argentina went down 1-2 in a thriller against Germany. The Germans had better possession in a goalless first half but it was their keeper, Joshua Nnaji Onyekwue, who had to make an excellent diving save from a blistering Inaki Minadeo drag flick.The Germans were eventually rewarded for their dominance in the third quarter, Hugo von Montgelas turning his marker inside out at the top of the circle and firing home. Soon after, Paul Glander shaped up for a drag flick and slipped it left for Jakob Brilla to rocket home for a two-goal lead. But Argentina refused to lie down and Nnaji Onyekwue was again called on to deny them as the quarter ended. Argentina came alive early in the final quarter, Agustin Bonanno scoring early to set up a nail-biting finish. Argentina created numerous opportunities with a flurry of shots, five penalty corners, and a penalty stroke. They even subbed their keeper off with six minutes to play, but the German defence held firm around Onyekwue.India beat Netherlands (4-3):India came from behind twice in their gutsy 4-3 victory over a dominant Netherlands team. The Dutch had the perfect start, Timo Boers’ fifth-minute drag flick deflecting in high off the first wave’s foot, and Pepijn van der Heijden adding a second with a blistering low drag. That meant India went into the break trailing 0-2.The Indians fought back early in the second half, Araijeet Singh Hundal’s brilliant skills along the baseline setting up Aditya Arjun Lalage for a tap-in. Hundal drew India level a minute later with a penalty stroke, only for Olivier Hortensius to regain the lead for the Dutch with an excellent penalty corner deflection late in the third quarter. India weren’t done yet though, and Sourabh Anand Kushwaha drew them level once more with eight minutes left in the match. Captain Uttam Singh finally put India in front with four minutes remaining, completing a perfect penalty corner deflection from the p-spot. The Dutch immediately substituted their keeper and applied immense pressure, winning seven penalty corners in the last 90 seconds. But India defended these bravely with the keeper only being called on to save one as his runners charged the rest down, leaving the Dutch to rue many missed opportunities.France beat Australia (3-2):France emerged victorious in their 3-2 clash with Australia. There was very little to separate the teams until Noé Jouin’s diving deflection at the right post from a penalty corner in the 17th minute. Gaspard Denis pounced on a loose ball outside the Australian circle four minutes later and was allowed to run unchecked towards goal before popping it over the keeper’s shoulder from close range for a 2-0 lead.The teams traded goals within a minute of each other to end the third quarter, Jouin bagging a carbon copy of his first sliding deflection, and Australia hitting back with a Cooper Burns field goal. Burns converted an excellent penalty corner variation for his second early in the fourth quarter, setting up a tense finish. Australia had three penalty corners in the final 90 seconds but they were denied, first by the runner, then by keeper Marius Clement, and finally by a brave Tassilo Sura on the post.Spain beat Pakistan (4-2):Spain maintained their tournament momentum in an entertaining 4-2 win against Pakistan. The Spaniards were denied an early lead as Ali Raza made a good penalty corner save, and Pakistan then struck through captain Shahid Hannan’s field goal. Abdul Rafay made an excellent save to maintain Pakistan’s lead, and the rest of the half was tightly contested with both defences being tested.Still a goal down, Spain started well in the second half and were rewarded when Pol Cabre Verdiell and Aleix Bozal scored drag flicks within a minute of each other to go ahead. Jan Capellades denied Pakistan an equaliser with a good bit of positional keeping, and Spain immediately broke out for Pablo Espino to finish a good team goal. Sufyan Khan scored a drag flick to bring Pakistan back within one, but Cabre Verdiell responded immediately with another drag flick for the two-goal cushion. There were good scoring opportunities at both ends in the final quarter but neither defence could be breached.

India claim remarkable victory after going down 0-2 at first halfAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): India thrashed Netherlands 4-3 in the Men’s Juniors Hockey World Cup 2023 and moved into the semifinal here National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil on Tuesday despite of crawling behind 0-2 after first half of the game.It was a nerve-jangling second quarterfinal of the prestigious international hockey fixture. India were not enough good in the first two quarters of the match and they conceded two goals, which was scored on penalty corners. After going down 0-2, they changed their game plane and attacked on the opposite time back-to-back thrice. The final score was 4-3 in the favour of India that confirmed they will play semifinal against Germany, who defeated defending champions Argentina in the first quarterfinal. 

Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia claim winsAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Lausanne, Switzerland: Still reeling from dropping out of quarter-final contention, Belgium produced a massive 12-goal win over Canada to ensure they progressed to the playoff for ninth to 12th place at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.They’ll take on Malaysia in their next match after the hosts claimed a 4-1 victory over Egypt. South Africa recorded a comfortable 5-1 win over Chile to set up a clash with New Zealand, who emerged as 3-2 victors in a closely fought encounter with Korea.Malaysia beat Egypt (4-1):Hosts Malaysia dominated all the statistics in their 4-1 win over Egypt. Harris Osman opened the scoring for Malaysia with a tap-in at the post after a powerful pass from midfield was deflected by two Malaysian players to undo the Egyptian defence. Mohamed Rafaizel produced some high-quality goalkeeping to deny the Egyptians before Harizan Faris fired a straight drag flick home for Malaysia to lead 2-0 at half-time.Malaysia were awarded 14 penalty corners in the second half but Mahmoud Hassan and the Egyptian defence frustrated them with some fine saves. Muhammad Danish Aiman eventually produced a low drag flick to beat the keeper on his right foot, and Che Nur Aqilrullah completed the win with a scrambled goal from open play. There was some consolation for the Egyptians as Abdelmonem Basel rifled in a brilliant goal.Belgium beat Canada (12-0):Belgium romped home 12-0 against Canada with three players completing hat-tricks or better – Max Luyten completing his in the opening 10 minutes. First was a neat tap-in from in front of goal, followed by a diving deflection at the post. His third was an incredible reflex deflection as he was diving towards goal, somehow getting his stick to a ball high above his sliding body. Lucas Balthazar added a drag flick for the Belgians to end the half 4-0 up.Balthazar added two more in the second half – both from penalty corners – while Hugo Labouchere bagged his hat-trick in the space of eight minutes in the third quarter from two accurate drag flicks and a penalty stroke. Labouchere slotted in his fourth off a drag flick in the fourth quarter, Thomas Crols added a field goal and Luyten grabbed his fourth as the Belgians wrapped up the mammoth win.South Africa beat Chile (5-1):South Africa produced a dominant performance in beating Chile 5-1. Hans Neethling picked out a perfectly placed Ditlhakanyane Leruo who fired in from close range for an early score. David Tshebi then found himself on the end of another Neethling feed and teased his shot past the keeper to double the lead by half-time.The South Africans opened the gap even further in the third quarter, Neethling riding a heavy challenge and finding the net for his first, and then getting on the end of the good pass to deflect in for his second. Alexei de Witt pulled one back for the Chileans from a penalty corner, the South African keeper beaten by a big deflection off the first wave’s leg. But Nathan Ansell put in another one for South Africa, the penalty corner injector pouncing on the rebound after Julián Villanueva made a good initial save.New Zealand beat Korea (3-2):New Zealand came from behind for a 2-3 win in a hotly contested match against Korea. The Koreans scored first, JunYeol Lim working beautifully in the circle for a reverse stick goal. Jonty Elms struck back to level the scores at 1-1 just before half-time.James Hickson rounded off some good inter-passing to give the junior Black Sticks the lead for the first time after 37 minutes. But Korea drew level within a minute, Dohyun Lim rifling a penalty corner in low at the keeper’s left foot. New Zealand then reclaimed the lead, Luke Aldred setting Scott Cosslett up with a beautifully executed short corner variation. Korea pulled their keeper off in the dying minutes to chase the game but the Kiwis absorbed the sustained period of pressure to hold on for the win.

Green Shirts lock horns against heavyweight Belgium 1-1 in their last Pool fixtureSports Bulletin ReportKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Pakistan have confirmed their place at the top-eight stage of the Men’s Juniors Hockey World Cup 2023 after playing 1-1 draw in their last Pool match here at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on Saturday. Pakistan will face Spain on December 12 in the quarterfinals at the same venue. Arbaaz Ahmed scored a goal through a penalty corner in the 42nd minute, while Jack scored a goal on behalf of Belgium in the third minute of the match. On this occasion, the team is accompanied by Manager Lt. Col. R. Asif Naz Khokhar, Head Coach Revelant Altmans, Olympian Shakeel Abbasi, International Mohammad Ali, International Mohammad Asif Khan, Physiotherapist Mohammad Aslam and Video Analyst Nadeem Lodhi are present in the coaching panel.​ 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Abubakar Talha, Omer Jawad, and Hamza Ali Rizwan have been selected for international competitions, as the top two lads will participate in the ITF Asian Under-14 Development Championships Finals, which will be held from January 8, 2024 in India. Players have been picked up after conducting trials at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex Islamabad.According to an official of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), the top 2 players will travel to India to participate in the ITF Asian Under-14 Development Championships Finals, which will get underway from January 8, 2024 while the top 3 players will travel to Malaysia to participate in the Asia/Oceania WJT Final Qualifying event on March 25, 2024.As many as 9 players were invited, based on their top performance and current PTF Under-14 national ranking and the following 3 players have been selected after the completion of the trials.

Sports Bulletin ReportKuala Lumper (Malaysia): Rayyan Zaman of Pakistan qualified for the final of the Under-9 age group category of the Redtone Junior Squash Championship 2023 at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.In the semifinal, Rayyan Zaman won against Mohammad Rizq Azman from Malaysia in Straight games 3-0. The final score-line was 11-9, 11-8, and 12-10. It is pertinent to mention here that Rayyan Zaman is the grand Son of former Squash world champion Qamar Zaman.

Sports Bulletin ReportKuala Lumper (Malaysia): Defending champions Argentina, France, Germany, and Australia earned considerable triumphs in the ongoing Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 after thrashing their respective opponents here at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on Friday.France beat South Africa (5-4):The most action packed game of the day saw nine goals scored in the first half as France beat South Africa 5-4. With the starting buzzer still ringing in South African ears, France netted two field goals in the first four minutes. The game then found some relative calm, before South Africa sparked it into frantic life yet again with a field goal reply in the 14th minute. France then converted a penalty corner a minute later to put themselves 3-1 up, before South Africa scored their own penalty corner within the same minute. With the score at 3-2 going into the second quarter, punches did not stop being thrown by either side. South Africa wrestled the score back to 3-3 in the 21st minute, a goal that was answered a minute later by a French field goal to restore their lead. Three minutes of peace was interrupted by Cameron Le Foriester’s second field goal of the game, which equalised the game once again. France then took two minutes to find their fifth goal, the final one of the quarter, the half and the game. Two wasted penalty corners from South Africa in the third quarter, followed by France failing to convert one in the final quarter, left the game at 5-4, France managing to just about extend their blisteringly early lead to the final buzzer. Germany beat Egypt (10-0):Despite Argentina’s 8 goal winning margin, the most destructive game of the day was won by Germany as they put ten goals past the Egyptian team. The Germans, clearly intent on one-upping their quarter-final opponents, scored with brutal regularity. With two goals coming in each quarter - other than the second which saw four breach Egypt's goalline - Germany rounded off the pool stage in a remarkable manner. Even leaving five penalty corners unconverted, the Germans still scored five corners and five field goals to reach their impressive ten. The Egyptians did manage to win two penalty corners, one in each of the third and fourth quarter, but could not take advantage. Nikas Berendts’ hat-trick was not enough to win him player of the match as Florian Sperling’s two field goals earned him the award. Argentina beat Chile (8-0):Defending champions Argentina continued their faultless pool stage in Kuala Lumpur as they thrashed Chile 8-0. The Chileans made a decent effort of damage control across the first three quarters, managing to keep the score to only 3-0 at the end of the third quarter, however, the final quarter saw the floodgates open. The defending Champions scored five more times to reach 8-0, with Cappuro Bautista’s hat-trick the highlight of an impressive goal-scoring performance. Australia beat Malaysia (5-2):Australia stamped their authority early on in their final group match against Malaysia, as they found themselves 3-0 up at the end of the first quarter. Two converted penalty corners and a field goal left Malaysia with what proved to be too much to do in the final three quarters. Even when Malaysia managed to claw a goal back in the 21st minute, Australia’s reply, six minutes later, reasserted their three goal lead. Similarly, in the third quarter, Malaysia’s 44th minute field goal made it 4-2 before the Australians found their three-goal lead again just a minute later from a successful penalty corner. The game finished 5-2 as Australia maintained the lead they established right from the first quarter, with goals coming from Cooper Burns, Geddes Cambell and Jake Lambeth, the latter two finding the net twice each.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBBF) has announces to hold an Olympic Solidarity WABC Level-I Coaching Course from December 11 to 16, 2023 at Government College University, Lahore.According to Secretary General PBBF Khalid Bashir, FIBA Coaching Instructor, Milan Kotarac from Serbia is keen to lead a six-day coaching course under the banner of FIBA. The program aims to provide in-depth theoretical and practical insights to fifteen coaches, encompassing both male and female participants, during morning and evening sessions. Kotarac will be assisted by Ouj-e-Zahoor, Associate Secretary PBBF, Mohammad Sami, Course Coordinator and Mohammad Riaz Malik, Head Coach, Pakistan Basketball Team.Khalid Bashir highlighted the paramount importance of staying abreast of the latest rules in basketball, emphasizing the role of the coaching community in contributing to the growth of the sport in Pakistan. The FIBA Instructor is slated to cover the latest rules and update participants' knowledge in alignment with the guidelines issued by the international basketball governing body.This initiative reflects PBBF's commitment to empowering coaches with cutting-edge skills and techniques, ensuring they play a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of basketball talent in the country. By providing this learning opportunity, the federation reaffirms its dedication to fostering excellence and innovation within the basketball coaching fraternity.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced the 2024-2025 Committees and Commissions Appointments and officials from Pakistan.According to an official of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), the president PTF Senator Salim Saifullah Khan has become the member of Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup Taskforce while Asim Shafik will be the part of ITF Coaches Commission. Mohammad Ali Murtaza has been nominated the member of ITF Juniors Committee.In a message, Salim Saifullah Khan and PTF Management thanked David Haggerty, President ITF, and his team for the prestigious appointments. The President-PTF has also assured the President ITF that he and his team would continue to work with the same zeal and dedication for the promotion and development of tennis.