Amad claims 5 wickets, PTV players overcome State Bank of Pakistan by 3 wickets in finalArsalan SheraziRAWALPINDI: On the fourth day, PTV chased the target of 153 runs, securing victory with 7 wickets down. In the first innings, State Bank of Pakistan was bowled out for 205 runs. PTV’s Mohammad Shehzad achieved a hat-trick, taking 5 wickets.PTV scored 317 runs in their first innings, gaining a 112-run lead. PTV’s Waqar Hussain and Muhammad Shehzad scored centuries in the first innings. Waqar Hussain scored 106, while Mohammad Shehzad remained unbeaten with 125 runs.In the second innings, State Bank of Pakistan was all out for 264 runs. PTV captain Imad Butt took 5 wickets. The five-day night final was played with a pink ball at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.  

Arsalan SheraziLahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Farooq Ahmed spoke to the media, discussing bilateral cricketing ties and future series.Expressing gratitude, Farooq Ahmed thanked Mohsin Naqvi for the invitation, stating, "Our cricket has progressed significantly." He further revealed that discussions between PCB and BCB included plans for white-ball series apart from the Future Tours Programme (FTP)."Both boards are actively engaged in scheduling upcoming series," Farooq Ahmed added, signaling positive developments in cricketing collaboration.Welcoming the BCB President to Lahore for the Champions Trophy semi-final, Mohsin Naqvi acknowledged Bangladesh’s support in hosting the tournament. "I appreciate BCB’s cooperation in organizing the Champions Trophy," he stated.Highlighting ongoing discussions over the past few weeks, the PCB Chairman assured that progress on bilateral series will be made soon.  

Lahore (PCB Report): Salman Ali Agha has been named Pakistan’s T20I captain, with Shadab Khan as vice-captain, for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 16-26 March. Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from 29 March to 5 April.The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major upcoming tournaments - the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, winning 2-1.As part of preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan is set to play a minimum of five T20Is in the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and three T20Is each against West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September/October), Sri Lanka (home, November) and Australia (home, January 2026).Mohammad Rizwan will continue leading the ODI side as Pakistan builds towards the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2027, which will take place in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe in October/November 2027.T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman KhanODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim and Tayyab Tahir. A wicketkeeper/batter will be added to the ODI squad following the T20IsIn the T20I squad, there are three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali – while Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali the two players who have yet to debut in ODIs. The four players have been rewarded for their impressive performances in the Champions One-Day and T20 Cups.In the Champions T20 Cup, Abdul Samad scored 115 runs at a strike-rate of 166.67 after aggregating 145 runs at a strike-rate of 122.88 in the Champions One-Day Cup. Likewise, Hasan Nawaz had a staller Champions T20 Cup, finishing as the second leading run-getter with 312 runs at a strike-rate of 142.47. Mohammad Ali with 22 wickets was the leading wicket-taker in Champions T20 Cup, while he took three wickets in the Champions One-Day Cup.Akif Javed has been selected in the ODI side after his seven wickets in five Champions One-Day Cup matches, while he took 15 wickets in the Champions T20 Cup.Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for either format on medical advice. Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January. Both are expected to be fully fit for the HBL Pakistan Super League 10, starting in Rawalpindi on 11 April 2025.Aqib Javed will continue as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour. His original term was until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been asked to extend his tenure while the search for a permanent head coach begins. Mohammad Yousuf has been appointed as batting coach.Player Support Personnel: Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Aqib Javed (interim head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Mohammad Masroor (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media and digital manager) and Sergio Basil Mullins (masseur).New Zealand tour schedule:16 Mar – first T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch18 Mar – second T20I, University Oval, Dunedin21 Mar – third T20I, Eden Park, Auckland23 Mar – fourth T20I, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui26 Mar – fifth T20I, Sky Stadium, Wellington29 Mar – first ODI, McLean Park, Napier2 Apr – second ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton5 Apr – third ODI, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The match officials for the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 have been announced as India take on Australia and South Africa face New Zealand.New Zealander Chris Gaffaney and England’s Richard Illingworth will take charge of the first semi-final in Dubai between India and Australia, with Michael Gough serving as third umpire and Andy Pycroft on match referee duties.Illingworth continues in Dubai having overseen India’s Group A clash with New Zealand, while Gaffaney had been due to umpire Australia’s meeting with South Africa in Group B before the weather intervened.Then in the second semi-final in Lahore, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena will work alongside Australia’s Paul Reiffel as the on-field umpires for the clash between the Proteas and the Black Caps.Joel Wilson will be the third umpire, while Ranjan Madugalle is the match referee for this encounter.Dharmasena took charge of New Zealand’s win over Bangladesh in Group A, while Reiffel was in the middle when India beat Pakistan.Semi-Final 1: Dubai, India v AustraliaOn-field Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & Richard IllingworthThird Umpire: Michael GoughFourth Umpire: Adrian HoldstockMatch Referee: Andy PycroftSemi-Final 2: Lahore, South Africa v New ZealandOn-field Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena & Paul ReiffelThird Umpire: Joel WilsonFourth Umpire: Ahsan RazaMatch Referee: Ranjan Madugalle

Sports Bulletin ReportSantiago (Chile): Japan staged a stunning comeback against Korea, overturning a 3-1 halftime deficit to win 5-4 in an action-packed match. Scotland secured their place in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup with a 2-0 victory over Canada, who now face a relegation battle. In the semi-finals, Ireland edged past the USA 2-1, while New Zealand triumphed over Chile in a tense shootout after a 1-1 draw. Japan 5-4 Korea: The first match of the day at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup was action packed. For Korea it was almost a carbon copy of their first game of the tournament against New Zealand. Korea started off strong with two goals in the first quarter, a quick pull to the right and a low hard shot by Hyejin Cho opened the scoring, followed by a clever reverse sweep into the far corner by Sunghee Jung, put Korea up 2-1 in the first quarter. Korea continued to show dominance in the first half controlling the pace of the game, they entered the half with a 3-1 lead.It was as if The Cherry Blossoms woke up in the second half, their team truly coming alive and playing together as a unit. They were able to fight back from their two-goal deficit to win the game 5-4. The Japanese team was ecstatic with their ability to come back and win, as stated by the player of the match, Rui Takashima: “This was a tough game today, but we continue to play hard so we can get the win!”.Scotland 2-0 Canada: The second match of the day provided a scoreless first half, however the score line does not accurately portray the efforts of both teams. Canada was strong in defence, as they have been this entire tournament. The Wolfpack were able to hold off ten penalty corners in the first half, thanks to brilliant defensive efforts by Elise Wong and Sarah Goodman. The Canadians even had a chance to take the lead with a full team build up play from Thora Rae, down the line to Nora Goddard-Despot who swung it across the face of the goal to Natalie Sourisseau. Unfortunately, Mikayla Stelling missed the final touch which would have put Canada in the lead.The second half is where Scotland took over the match, scoring two goals in the third quarter. Both goals were perfectly placed low and hard shots which whizzed past the Canadian keeper. Scotland finished out the match with this 2-0 lead, saving their spot in the FIH Nations Cup.Ireland 2-1 USA: Ireland versus USA was a back-and-forth semi-final battle. The Americans brought the heat in the first half, forcing Ireland to concede their first goal of the tournament. Madeline Zimmer (USA) poached a pass off Ireland, and cruised into the circle, finishing the goal by smashing it into the far-left hand corner in just the 4th minute of play. Ireland managed to battle their way back to 1-1 at half by securing a penalty stroke scored by Roisin Upton.The momentum seemed to shift in the second half, with Ireland creating more and more opportunities. Kathryn Mullan (IRL) received a bobbling ball at the top of the circle and used the bounce of the ball to breeze past two defenders and slot the ball into the net.Chile 1-1 (1-3 SO) New Zealand: After an electric end-to-end battle, the second semi-final of the day ended at regulation time in a 1-1 draw, forcing Chile and New Zealand to face off in a shootout. The Black Sticks were able to come away with the win, after scoring three goals in the shootout, and Chile only scoring one. The Black Sticks were led in this shootout by experienced goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon. 

Pakistan overcome Iran 2-1 in 3rd position play-off in Colombo on SundaySports Bulletin ReportColombo (Sri Lanka): Pakistan tennis players claimed bronze medal in the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Wheelchair Tennis Asian Qualification Event after beating Iran 2-1 in 3rd position play-off at Colombo Sri Lanka on Sunday. Iqbal Issak president Sri Lanka Tennis Association graced the closing ceremony as a chief guest. Japan's both male and female teams won the gold and qualified for World group event.Non-playing captain, Mohammad Khalid Rehmani said: “It is the first time ever Pakistan reached at victory stand and won bronze”. He thanked President PTF Aisamul Haq and ITF Wheelchair department and commanded past president PTF Salim Saifullah Khan who initiated Wheelchair Tennis in Pakistan in 2018.Results (Pakistan beat Iran 2-1):Hussain Mamipour (Iran) beat Fida Hussain (Pak) 6-0, 6-1Asif Gul Abbasi (Pak) beat Mohammad Reza Yagoupi (Iran) 6-0, 6-0Asif Abbasi & Fida Hussain Reza Yagoupi & Hussain 6-4, 6-4.

Dubai (UAE): The Islamabad Tennis Association (ITA) has secured a remarkable victory at the ITF Master Tournament held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). ITA Chairman Tariq Murtaza and Secretary Tufail Cheema clinched the Senior Doubles title in the 70+ event, showcasing outstanding performance throughout the tournament.Murtaza and Cheema dominated the competition, securing the title by winning all four of their round-robin matches and earning four points. In their final match, they defeated Marian Mocon (POL) / Danut Sturzolu (ROU) in straight sets with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.Their journey to the title included the following wins:First Match: Defeated Mridul Barkatoti / Surinder Mohan Sharma (IND) – 7-5, 6-3Second Match: Received a walkover against Dieter Kuhnert (GER) / Ponnuchamy Paramasivam (IND)Third Match: Overcame the strong Indian pair George Thomas Puthuparambil / Sulumaran Veettil in a thrilling three-set battle – 6-2, 6-7(3), 10-5Final Match: Defeated Marian Mocon (POL) / Danut Sturzolu (ROU) – 6-3, 6-3This victory is particularly impressive as it marks the first time this pair has competed in an international event outside Pakistan.Other Notable Pakistani PerformancesIn addition to Murtaza and Cheema’s triumph, other Pakistani players also delivered remarkable performances:Hamid ul Haq, former Davis Cup player and captain of the Pakistan team, won the 55+ Doubles title and was runner-up in the 60+ Singles event.Rashid Malik (Pride of Performance) reached both the 60+ Singles and Doubles finals but, unfortunately, had to withdraw due to the serious illness of his elder brother.Inam ul Haq & Nisar Waqar secured the 65+ Doubles title.Nisar Waqar also finished as runner-up in the 70+ Singles event.The Islamabad Tennis Association (ITA), along with its President Majid Bashir, Senior Executive Vice President Muhammad Arif Qureshi, and members of the Islamabad Tennis Club, congratulated Tariq Murtaza, Tufail Cheema, and other Pakistani players for their outstanding performances and for bringing laurels to Pakistan. (PR) 

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Former Test captain and wicketkeeper batter, Moin Khan has joined the Kashmir Premier League (KSL), as the preparations for the first edition of the prestigious T20 tournament are in full swing, the event will be played in Muzaffarabad, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi in May, June this year 2025. Moin joined the league as the Executive Director of Cricket Operations, the contract signing ceremony took place at a local hotel in Karachi, which was attended by former cricketers and KSL Chairman Masood Ahmed Khan among others. On this occasion, Moin Khan said:  “Kashmir Premier League will make Super League a big brand. The league will be successful when the players get money, the players will not have any problem in this league. Big players like Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi are also associated with this league, which suggests that the league will be on a large scale, a talent hunt program will also be organized for the league.”The players from the league will also be included in the Quetta Gladiators team. Kashmir Supreme League Chairman Masood Ahmad Khan said in his speech, "Legendary players have been included in the league to make it successful. It will be very beneficial to have Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi and Moin Khan. The aim of the league is to bring forward the talented players. It is also to show the positive face of Kashmir to the world." At the end of the ceremony, the agreement for the sale of franchise Kotli Kings was also signed. 

Islamabad (Sports Desk): New Zealand secured a 3-1 victory over Scotland, overturning an early deficit to clinch a semi-final spot. Ireland continued their dominant run with a 2-0 win against Korea, maintaining their perfect defensive record in the group stage. Chile topped Pool B after a 3-1 win over the USA, capitalizing on penalty corners, while Japan edged Canada 2-1 with a late goal.New Zealand 3-1 Scotland: To start the final day of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup, New Zealand finished out the final group match with a 3-1 win over Scotland. Scotland began the match with a bang scoring in just the 2nd minute. Scotland hung on to their lead for just over twenty minutes, however New Zealand proved to be more clinical in the circle.Korea 0-2 Ireland; Korea played as a strong defensive unit for much of the first half, not allowing many chances for The Green Army. However, with a charging run into the circle, a fake a shot, and a smooth finish through the keepers’ legs, Sarah Torrans scored Ireland’s first goal of the match in the 25th minute.The second half proved much of the same, Korea played well defensively but struggled to put many scoring attempts together. In the 51st minute Ireland sealed the deal with an open shot from Christina Hamill at the top of the circle and a reaching touch by Mikayla Power to deflect it into the top of the net.Chile 3-1 USA: It was a story of penalty corners in the third match of the day, with Chile scoring three penalty corners, allowing them to claim top of Pool B on home soil. The USA’s performance was a frustrating one, with a penalty corner goal disallowed in the first half which would have tied the game and potentially changed the momentum.The second half brought more pressure from the Americans, but they failed to convert their chances. Another penalty corner was denied, and a penalty stroke miss defined the USA’s second half. While Maria Maldonado managed to score Chile’s third goal of the night on the fourth consecutive penalty corner, providing a cherry on top of her 100th match with Las Diablas.Japan 2-1 Canada: The first half of this match proved to be a stalemate, with neither Japan nor Canada earning a spot on the scoresheet. Canada’s defensive strength was led by Anna Mollenhauer and Sarah Goodman who played huge roles in the first half shut out. The Cherry Blossoms did look to be the better team offensively, as they created multiple circle entries and earned several penalty corners near the end of the half.The Canadian Wolfpack had an unfortunate start to the second half with only nine players on the field due to a yellow and a green card. Japan took advantage of this opportunity by opening the scoring on a penalty corner. Canada quickly responded with their first goal of the tournament by Kathleen Leahy just minutes later. At the very start of the fourth quarter Rui Takashima blazed through the Canadian defence with a zigzagging run setting up an open goal tap in for Hiroka Murayama to win the match for Japan 2-1.

Abdullah AsjadISLAMABAD: The rising bowler, Ghazanfar Bilal has won the title of the 17th National Tenpin Bowling Championship, which concluded here at Safa Gold Bowling Club. Daniyal Shah and Anas Asif claimed 2nd and 3rd position respectively. Ghazanfar Bilal got first position with 369 points while Daniyal Shah obtained 2nd position with 356 points and Anas Asif bagged 3rd position with 346 points. Zeeshan Bhatti secured 4th position with 326 points. President, Pakistan Tenpin Bowling Federation, Ijaz ur Rehman, President, Sindh Tenpin Bowling Association, Aleem Agha, Secretary General, Pakistan Student Olympic Association, Rana Tanveer Ahmed and a large number of people were also present on the occasion.Ghazanfar Bilal received a cash prize of Rs. 100 thousand with a winner trophy and Daniyal Shah got Rs. 50 thousand. Anas Asif pocketed 25000 3rd position award while Zeeshan Bhatti received rupees ten thousand 4th position award. Similarly, 5th to 8th position holders got rupees five thousand each only. About 200 players including men and women took part in the championship.