Sports Bulletin

SB Report ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan Blind cricket team defeated England by 9 wickets in the first Twenty 20 cricket fixture at Oval Cricket Ground Ajman, United Arabs Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday. Ahmed Amjad Ali, Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai officially inaugurated the series. Before the match, both teams kept one-minute silence in condolence to the sad demise of Anees Javed (Pakistan Team’s former Captain and current player) father who died few days ago. Anees, despite the harsh bolt from the blue joined the team in U.A.E to execute his national duty. In the morning, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. Muhammad Shahzaib Totally Blind B1 player made his debut. Syed Sultan Shah Chairman PBCC and Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai gave him the debut cap. Pakistani bowlers didn’t allow the English batsmen to play at will. Tight bowling toppled the English batsmen and their wickets kept falling in regular intervals. England team made only 137 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets. Peter Bullet and Justin Hollingsworth were their best run getters, they scored 34 runs each. Shahzaib Hyder took 2 wickets, Mohisn Khan, Haroon Khan claimed a wicket a piece. Mohammad Shahzaib the debutant made his impact straight away and bowled England’s dangerous Nathan Foy cheaply. Target of 138 runs, remained a plain ceiling for Pakistani batsmen, Pakistan chased the target in 12.1 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. Muhammad Rashid hit 61 runs off 37 balls and Haroon Khan made 26 runs, he was hit wicket on the bowling on Nathan Foy. Riasat Khan remained unbeaten on 16* runs. Stefan the Chairman of International Deaf Cricket Council was the guest of the occasion and gave away man of the match award. The 2nd Twenty-20 International will be played on Wednesday at the same venue. Result: Pakistan won by 9 wickets                       MOM: Muhammad Rashid

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Imran Butt, Aizaz Cheema star on day two SB Report ISLAMABAD:-Imran Butt’s eighth first-class century and two early wickets by Taj Wali and Mohammad Asghar put Balochistan ahead of Central Punjab on day two of their four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy seventh-round fixture at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Balochistan scored a mammoth 450 all-out on the back of Butt’s 137 and reduced the hosts to 28 for two before the play had to be called-off due to fading light. Twenty-three-year-old Butt continued his impressive form after resuming his innings on 77 and cracked his second 100-plus score in the tournament. He knitted a solid 167-run partnership for the third-wicket with Balochistan’s captain Imran Farhat - who scored 87 off 155 balls, hitting 11 fours - and smashed 16 fours in his 225-ball stay at the crease before he was removed by Aizaz Cheema, who returned his 37th five in first-class cricket. The 40-year-old right-arm medium-fast took five wickets for 100 runs in 31.1 overs, providing crucial breakthroughs to hosts over the course of his spells. Other notable performance with the ball came from right-arm medium-fast Mohammad Ali who picked up two more wickets on Tuesday and returned three for 72. For crossing the 400-run mark in 110 overs, Balochistan bagged maximum (5) batting points, while Central Punjab took two points for removing six or more batsmen. Only eight overs were possible in Central Punjab’s innings and Taj (2-0-5-1) and Asghar (2-0-7-1) made the most of the twilights hours by picking up the wickets of opener Rizwan Hussain (six) and night-watchman Ehsan Adil (seven). Salman Butt (15) and Central Punjab captain Ahmed Shehzad (0) will resume the innings for the hosts on Wednesday. Scores in brief: Balochistan 450 all-out, 124.1 overs (Imran Butt 137, Imran Farhat 87, Azeem Ghumman 72, Awais Zia 44, Taimur Khan 37, Hussain Talat 24; Aizaz Cheema 5-100, Mohammad Ali 3-72) Central Punjab 28-2, 8 overs (Salman Butt 15; Taj Wali 1-5, Mohammad Asghar 1-7)

Aamir Ali guides Sindh to National Under-19 three-day title SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-A six from left-arm spinner Aamir Ali helped Sindh Under-19 win the final of National Under-19 Three-Day Tournament against Northern U19 at Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura on Monday. Sindh who recently won the National U19 One-Day tournament took another trophy home, defeating Northern by seven wickets. Resuming their second innings on 102 for six, Northern were bundled out for 131 in 49.2 overs. Captain Zaid Khan top-scored with a 98-ball 64, he hit nine fours and a six. For Sindh, left-arm spinner Aamir Ali took six wickets for 54 runs in 23.2 overs. He ended-up with match figures of 11 for 133. Arish Ali Khan and Mohammad Makki grabbed two wickets apiece for 40 and 20 runs, respectively. Chasing 148 to win, Sindh lost two wickets in quick succession with only 22 runs on the board, but a 109-run partnership for the third wicket between Mohammad Taha (61 not-out) and Saim Ayub 62 guided the team to victory. Taha’s unbeaten knock included 10 fours and a six, while Saim hit 11 fours in an innings lasting 94 balls. Aamir for his 11 wickets was named player-of-the-match, while Mehran Mumtaz who has scored 166 runs and took 24 wickets for Northern was named player-of-the-tournament. Sindh defeated Balochistan by 123 runs to lift the National U19 One-Day tournament at the same venue on 6 November. Scores in brief: Northern U19 v Sindh U19, Rana Naveed Academy, Sheikhupura Northern U19 220 all-out, 77.2 overs (Mehran Mumtaz 43, Abdul Fasih 34; Arish Ali Khan 5-85, Aamir Ali 5-79) and 131 all-out, 49.2 overs (Ziad Khan 64; Aamir Ali 6-54, Arish Ali Khan 2-40, Mohammad Makki 2-20) Sindh U19 204 all-out, 63.2 overs (Mubashir Nawaz 63, Mohammad Usman 56; Mehran Mumtaz 4-47, Shiraz Khan 3-44) and 152-3, 32.3 overs (Saim Ayub 62, Mohammad Taha 61 not-out) Result: Sindh U19 win by seven wickets Player of the match – Aamir Ali (Sindh) Player of the tournament – Mehran Mumtaz, Northern U19 (166 runs and 24 wickets in six matches

FIH announced Men’s and Women’s world cup venues SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-Lausanne, Switzerland: The Federation of International Hockey (FIH) Executive Board (EB), chaired by FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, held its 2-day meeting of the year on November 8 and 9, 2019 at its offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, where it selected India to host the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup (13-29 January 2023) and Spain and the Netherlands to co-host the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup (1-17 July 2022). Furthermore, the EB discussed a wide range of topics including: Hockey5s In order to further boost the development of hockey globally through the promotion of its 5-a-side format, “Hockey5s”, the EB has decided to create a FIH Hockey5s World Cup, with the inaugural edition planned for 2023. Continental Hockey5s tournaments will be organized and act as qualifiers. 16 teams per gender will take part in the first FIH Hockey5s World Cup. FIH Hockey Pro League The EB received a detailed report on season 2019 and the ongoing preparations for the second season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, which will start on 11 January 2020 with the 2019 Women’s League winners, the Netherlands, playing China away. This second season of the annual global League involving hockey’s best national teams in the world, Men and Women, welcomes another powerhouse of international hockey, India (in the Men’s League). Also, it includes a new match schedule which will reduce the travel of the teams by half, therefore decreasing costs for teams, benefitting athletes’ welfare and reducing the impact on the environment. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers The EB expressed its full satisfaction with the format of the recently completed FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers and outlined the great moments of hockey, the attendances and the audiences. It also reiterated its full support to the FIH Umpires and Officials as publicly mentioned by FIH CEO Thierry Weil earlier. FIH Intercontinental Cup In order to promote competition between teams from different continents every year, FIH will be launched in 2021 an annual event for the highest ranked teams not competing in the FIH Hockey Pro League. It will be an 8-team tournament in a single venue for each gender. The competing teams will be invited based on the FIH World Rankings at the end of the previous year’s FIH Hockey Pro League. From 2022, the FIH Intercontinental Cup champion will be promoted to the following year’s FIH Pro League to replace the bottom team who will be relegated. FIH World Rankings As announced by the EB in March, on 1st January 2020, the FIH will launch a new match-based FIH World Rankings system. This new system will: Increase opportunities for all National Associations to gain ranking points Accurately reflect current performance Provide weekly rankings and live narrative to every official match with the impact of the result on the world rankings table being known immediately Remove subjectivity and create a system that is fair to all without the need for Continental weightings Encourage playing official international matches Encourage targeting the highest profile tournaments for best performance Provide the opportunity for all nations who play international matches to have a world ranking Ranking points will be exchanged between the competing teams in every official international match recorded on the FIH Tournament Management System. The number of points exchanged will depend on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match and the importance of the match (part of a major tournament or a one-off test series, for example). A more detailed explanation will be published towards the end of this year.

Ali Shafiq fined 20 percent match fee SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-Balochistan bowler Ali Shafiq has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee for a level 1 offence relating to using language, action or gesture which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his dismissal during a match during his side’s three-day non first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the incident happened on Sunday when Ali dismissed Mehran Ibrahim in the 21st over of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first innings. The right-arm medium-fast was charged by on-field umpires Imtiaz Iqbal and Mohammad Sajid at the end of second day’s play for violating article 2.5 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. Ali pleaded guilty and accepted the fine imposed on him by match referee Nadeem Arshad

Akif Javed’s need for speed SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-Karak-born left-arm pacer Akif Javed has made a big impression already in a very short domestic career. Akif, a discovery of the NCA Remote Areas Programme has made his way to the Pakistan team set to take part in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup that will be played in Bangladesh later this month. The 19-year-old Akif was born in Karak which is a remote town some 130 kilometres away from Peshawar. Cricket, like the rest of the country is the most popular sport here and youngsters are seen playing cricket on large fields and grounds across the area. Akif, started playing like most of the boys in the area, his talent, skill, persistence and determination provided him rich rewards in the shape of his selection for the Remote Areas camp that was staged at the prestigious National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Akif had some big challenges to overcome; he had to help his father as a shopkeeper in order to make ends meet for his family. Akif used to work at the shop yet pursued his dream of becoming a cricket star in his spare time. As a kid and then as a teenager he played tape-ball cricket with his friends on the streets and grounds of Karak. His life changed last year when on the insistence of his friends, he started playing with the cricket ball. Akif made a big impression in the recently concluded National T20 tournament in Faisalabad where he accounted for some big scalps; overall he took nine wickets in seven games including figures of three for 16 in one game for Balochistan. His side narrowly lost the tournament final to Northern. Akif Javed on his early days, National T20, selection and favourites: “I was inspired by Shoaib Akhtar and started playing cricket as I wanted to emulate his feats. I entered the National T20 with the aim of becoming the fastest bowler in the world, I am happy with my performance in the event. My most memorable wicket of the tournament was Mohammad Hafeez’s. “My mother informed me of my selection in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup squad; she like the rest of my family is very happy and is praying for my success. Among the present lot, Mohammad Amir is my favourite bowler; I want to swing the ball like he does at a good pace.”Akif impressed the coaches at the NCA, while training under the Remote Areas Programme. He gained speed, accuracy and learned the nuances of bowling at the highest level under the NCA coaches.  Akif praised the coaching staff at the NCA for their contribution in his growth as a player as well as his improved fitness. Akif on NCA coaches: “The coaches at NCA worked really hard with me. I was taught about the basics of bowling and that helped me immensely in my performances in the National T20. I was also told about the importance of fitness and the training that I did at the academy has been of great benefit. The Remote Areas camp helped many youngsters like me and we might see many other stars emerge from these activities in the future.” Akif has made rapid strides in a very short time, not long ago his family used to dislike his interest in cricket but his performances in the National T20 and his selection in the Pakistan team for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup has changed their perception, he now has their backing and prayers as he begins the pursuit of what promises to be a hugely rewarding career. Pakistan’s squad for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup has a strong pace bowling attack which besides Akif includes Mohammad Hasnain, Sameen Gul and Amad Butt. Pakistan Squad: Saud Shakeel (captain), Rohail Nazir (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Akif Javed, Amad Butt, Haider  Ali,   Hasan Mohsin, Imran Rafiq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Asad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Mohsin, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saif Badar, Sameen Gul, Umar Khan. Reserves: Aamir Ali, Adil Amin, Hussain Talat and Muhammad Haris.   Team management: Ijaz Ahmed (Manager-cum-head coach), Rao Iftikhar Anjum (bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (assistant coach), Hafiz Mohammad Naeem Ul Rasul (physiotherapist), Saboor  Ahmad (trainer), Usman  Hashmi (analyst) and Muhammad Younas Butt (security manager) Pakistan’s schedule: 14 November – v Afghanistan, Cox’s Bazar 16 November – v Sri Lanka, Cox’s Bazar 18 November – v Oman, Cox’s Bazar 20 November – Semi-final 1 (winner Group A v runner-up Group B), Mirpur 21 November - Semi-final 2 (winner Group B v runner-up Group A), Mirpur 23 November - Final, Mirpur

Azeem Ghumman, Imran Butt hit half-centuries on Day-1 SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-Half-centuries by Azeem Ghumman and Imran Butt had Balochistan at 232 for 2 on the first day of their four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy seventh-round fixture against Central Punjab at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium before play had to be called-off due to bad light. Opener Azeem and one-drop Butt stitched a 92-run partnership for the second-wicket for the visitors after Balochistan were asked to bat by Central Punjab captain Ahmed Shehzad. Azeem scored a solid 140-ball 72 – his 20th half-century in first-class cricket – which also included a 71-run opening-partnership with Awais Zia (44). The 28-year-old right-handed batsman cracked 10 boundaries in his 200-minute stay at the crease. After Awais was dismissed, Butt ensured Balochistan’s innings stayed on track as he scored 77 not out from 119 balls. The 23-year-old had smashed 11 fours and was joined by his side’s captain Imran Farhat (30 not out) when stumps were drawn. For Central Punjab, right-arm medium-fast bowlers Mohammad Ali and Ehsan Adil took a wicket each for 42 and 57 runs. Only 60.2 overs were bowled on day one. Scores in brief: Balochistan 232-2, 60.2 overs (Imran Butt 77 not out, Azeem Ghumman 72, Awais Zia 44, Imran Farhat 30 not out; Mohammad Ali 1-42, Ehsan Adil 1-57) v Central Punjab

Pakistan International Series Badminton Tournament 2019 Mahoor clinches Singles title By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Pencil thin and sharp girl Mahoor Shaahzad saved the blushes of Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) by clinching the Women’s Singles title of the Pakistan International Series Badminton Tournament 2019. She toppled top seed Soraya Aghahajiagha 2-1 in the final in a well contested three games final played at Rodham Hall, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad on Sunday.  Local teenager Mahoor Shahzad displayed excellent skill of the game and overcame top seed opponent Soraya Aghahajiaghe from Iran. She took the first game without any resistance and showed good technique and skills of badminton at 21-15. In the second game, Soraya took the charge and fought back with long rallies and won the second game at 21-16 to bounce back in the contest. Mahoor won the third game at 21-16 and won the title. In Men Singles final, Saran Jamsri (Thailand) comfortably defeated Geoorges Julien Paul of Mauritius in the straight games. He used powerful strokes and show great skill and technique to avoid any resistance from opponent. Agha Hassan Baloch Chairman standing committee on Sports was the chief guest of the occasion and distributed the cash prizes and trophies amongst the finalists. Total cash prize was $10000. Miss Amna Imran Director General Pakistan Sports Board, Mr Mansoor Ali Khan Deputy Director General PSB, President Pakistan Badminton Federation Nisar Ahmad Shahwai was also present on the occasion.  Results (All finals): Men Singles: Saran Jamsri (Thailand) beat Georges Julien Paul (Mauritius) by 21-14, 21-10 Men Doubles: Prad Tangsrirapeephan & Apichasit Teerawiwat (Thailand) beat Dipesh Dhami & Ratnajit Tamang (Nepal) by 26-24, 21-14 Women Singles: Mahoor Shahzad (Pakistan) beat Soraya Aghaeihajiagha (Iran) by 21-15, 16-21, 21-16 Women Doubles: Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq & Fatimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq (Maldives) beat Mahoor Shahzad & Bushra Qayum (Pakistan) by 21-17, 21-13 Mixed Doubles: Hussein Zayan Shaheed & Fatimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq (Maldives) beat Dipesh Dhami & Amita Giri (Nepal) by 21-16, 21-19  

SB Report Dubai (November 10, 2019):-Pakistan and England Blind Cricket Teams arrived in Dubai on Sunday to play a bilateral Blind Cricket series. Pakistan Blind Cricket Council is hosting the home series at neutral venue United Arabs Emirates (UAE) comprising 6 T-20 Internationals. Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council welcomed the English team by presenting the traditional flower bouquet. England Team Captain Ed Hossell while talking to the media told that “England Team is well prepared for this series and has done good practice in last few months. Pakistan is a tough opponent and one of the best sides in the World of Blind Cricket. He added Pakistan Team strength is their batting and we have good bowling and fielding unit to restrict them.” John Cook, the Coach of England Blind Cricket Team said in his presser that “They have the combination of young and experienced players, and confident that team is fit to take on the Pakistan side”. Pakistan Blind Cricket Team also arrived in hotel in U.A.E. Nisar Ali Captain of Pakistan Blind Cricket Team was poised to show better results in series. He said “we shall try to give delight to our people whom has been disappointed due to awful performance of   Pakistan’s main stream Cricket Team in recent T-20 matches Vs Sri Lanka and Australia” “We are here to play good cricket and well prepared for this exciting series” Muhammad Jamil, Coach of Pakistan Team said “Pakistan Team is a formidable unit and we trained them hard in the recent conditioning camps, players are eager to perform and ambitious to win”. Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman PBCC, thanked England Blind Cricket Team for the tour and wished to have a pleasant stay here.        

International badminton tournament 2019,Mahoor Shahzad moves into final BY Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan’s to national badminton girl Mahoor Shahzad moved into the final of the ongoing Pakistan International Series Badminton Tournament 2019 after beating her opponent Neela Najeeb from Maldives in straight games 2-0 at Rodham Hall, Pakistan Sports Complex on Saturday. She will take on Sorarya Aghaeihajiagha from Iran in the final at same venue on Sunday at 9.30a.m morning. In the first semifinal of the Women’s Singles, Mahoor displayed excellent skill of the game that went neck-to-neck that finished at 21-18 after a close contest in the favour of local girl Mahoor Shahzad. In the second game Mahoor had an upper hand throughout the game that finished at 21-11. Meanwhile, in the second semifinal, Iran girl Soraraya Agheeihajiagha defeated Pakistani women Palawasha Bashir in similar style in straight games 2-0. The score-line was 21-14 and 21-15. Local girl could not produce the results according to the expectation of badminton officials. As many as 12 countries are participating in this event, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nepal, Maldives, Czech Republic, Mauritius, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, USA and Pakistan. Results: Women’s Singles (Semifinals): Mahoor Shehzad (PAK) beat Neela Najeeb (MDV) 21-18, 21-11 Soraraya Aghaeihajiagha (IRN) beat Palawash Beshir (PAK) 21-14,21-15. Women’s Doubles (Semifinals): Bushra Qayyum & Mahoor Shehzad (PAK) beat Maisa Fathuhulla Ismail & Neela Najeeb (MDV) 21-17, 11-21, 21-18 Aminath Nabeeha Abdl Razzaq & Fathimath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq (MDV) beat Sehra Akram & Huma Javed (PAK) 21-16, 21-12. Men’s Singles (Semifinals): Georges Julien Paul (MRI) beat Howard shu (USA) 21-14, 14-21, 21-07 Saran Jamsri (THI) beat Awais Zahid (PAK) 21-17, 18-21,21-14. Men’s Doubles (Semifinals): Dipesh Dhami & Ratnajit Tamang (NEP) beat Mohammad Attique & Raja.M.Hassnin  (PAK) beat 21-18,21-15 Pard Tangsrirapeephan & Apichasit Teerawhwat (THI) beat Mohammad Irfan Saeed & Azeem Sarwar (PAK) 21-19, 21-12 Mix Doubles (Semifinals): Dipesh Dhami & Amita Giri (NEP) beat Mohammad Ali Larosh & Ghazala Siddique (PAK) 21-15, 18-21, 21-17 Hussein Zayan shaheed & Fathimath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq (MDV) beat Abdul Rehman & Saima Waqas (PAK) 21-14, 21-13 All finals will be played on Sunday.