Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 2, 2022):-Ushna Sohail overpowered Sarah Mehboob 2-1 to clinch the title of the Women’s Singles fixture of the ongoing 7th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournaments-2021-22 at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex Garden Avenue Islamabad on Sunday. The final score-line was 2-6, 6-2 and 6-2. Although Ushna lost the first set at 2-6, she bounced back in the match by winning the second set at 6-2. She maintained the same pace and power in the final set and finished in the similar style 6-2 to lift the Women’s Singles title of the prestigious national tournament. President, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Salim Saifullah Khan witnessed the three-set contest. In the Men's Singles, Mohammad Abid and Aqeel Khan confirmed their berths in the final after winning their respective semifinals at the same venue. The final will be played on Monday (January 3, 2022) at 1:30 pm at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex. In the first semifinal, Mohammad Abid had to toil hard in the court to overcome his challenger Muzammil Murtaza after a three sets a nail and bite contest. Muzammil claimed the first set easily and conceded a single game. However, Mohammad Abid displayed a quality game in the second set and did not allow his rival to settle on the court. He squared the match at 1-1 after ending the penultimate game at 6-3. Abid kept the pressure on Muzammil in the last game too, as he hit powerful strokes from down the line. The winning guy was also looking good in service and volleys, as he finished the match with the score-line of 1-6, 6-3 and 6-4. Later, in the second semifinal, Aqeel Khan ousted Mohammad Shoaib 2-0 and reached the final of the top national ranking tennis fixture. The final score-line was 6-3 and 6-2. Shoaib, who defeated top national lad Aqeel Khan twice in last December 2021 in two different tournaments in capital city Islamabad once in semifinal and once in final but he could not resist this time in a vital contest. Although Aqeel had crushed him (Shoaib) in the last national tournament, it was expected a close contest today but it proved a single sided affair. Results: Ladies Singles (Finals): Ushna Suhail beat Sarah Mahboob 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 Men's Singles (Semi-Finals): Mohammad Abid beat Muzammil Murtaza 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Shoaib 6-3, 6-2 Boys’ Under-18 Singles (Semi-Finals): Hasheesh Kumar beat Ahmed Nael Qureshi 6-0, 6-4 Sami Zeb beat Mahatir Mohammad 6-4, 6-1 Girls’ Under-18 Singles (Semi-Finals): Amna Ali Qayum beat Saher Aleem 6-1, 6-0 Natalia Zaman beat Sheeza Sajid 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 Boys’ Under-14 Singles (Semi-Finals): Asad Zaman bt Abubakar Talha 4-0, 5-4(2) Mohammad Salar beat Mohammad Ibrahim 2-4, 5-4(3), 4-2 Boys / Girls Under-12 Singles (Semi-Finals): Amir Mazari beat Nabeel Ali Qayum 4-1, 4-1 Abubakar Talha beat Samer Zaman 4-1, 4-1.  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Mount Maunganui, New Zealand (January 2, 2022):-Tourist team Bangladesh produced sparking performance on the second day of the Mount Maunganui Test both with the ball and bat, as they restricted Black Caps at 328 runs with magic bowling and later they were 175 for 2 in 67 overs at the close of the Day-2 game. Shanto was the busier of the two batters, hitting 64 off 109 balls. He struck seven fours and a slog-swept six that brought up his half-century. He drove the ball well on both sides of the wicket, and his best shot was possibly the cut he played against Wagner, when he moved well outside his leg stump and threaded the ball through gully and point. He fell in the last hour when Wagner got rid of him with a conventional outswinger coming from over the wicket. Shanto's uppish drive was well caught at gully by Will Young. Earlier in the day, New Zealand lost their last five wickets for 70 runs, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz picking up three of those. He had Kyle Jamieson caught at long-on, Southee at short midwicket, and Wagner caught behind in a burst that kept the home side on the back foot. Summarized Scorecard: Day-2 (New Zealand vs Bangladesh): New Zealand Batting (First Innings): 328 all out in 108.1 overs Devon Conway 122 (227 balls, 4X16, 6X1), Ross Taylor 31 (64 balls 4X5), Henry Nicholls 75 (127 balls 4X12). Bangladesh Bowling (First Innings): 175 for 2 in 67 overs Shoriful Islam (3 for 69), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3 for 86), Mominul Haque (2 for 6). BANGLADESH Batting (First Innings): Shadman Islam 22 (55 balls 4X1), Mahmudul Hasan Joy 70 not out (211 balls 4X7 ), Najmul Hossain Shanto 64 (109 balls 4x7 6X1) Yet to bat: Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das †, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam New Zealand Bowling: (2 for 27) Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui Toss: Bangladesh, elected to field first Bangladesh tour of New Zealand ICC World Test Championship

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 2, 2022):-Professionals Squash Association (PSA) has released the players ranking of new year January 2022, as Pakistan guys completely disappointed the whole nation as well as top officials of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF). Pakistan’s four lads are in top 100 only, as Tayyab Aslam is on 46th spot, Asim Khan 57th, Nasir Iqbal 79th and Israr Ahmed Khan 90th. The results of the international squash tournaments in which Pakistani players participated, which were held home and away during the year of 2021, divulge the performance of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), as all the affairs of squash are being run under the supervision of Senior Vice President (SVP) of squash federation Aamir Masood. Not a solitary Pakistani player could win even a single tournament of $US 20, 0000 or more prize money during the whole year 2021, as Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International had $US 30,000 and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) International had $US 20,000 prize money which were taken place in Islamabad and Karachi respectively. It is pertinent to mention here that Tayyab Aslam was top seed player in Chief of Air Staff Squash Championship 2021. Results are enough to expose the performance of squash federation and there is no need to comment more on it. All detail results are as under: International Tournaments 1. Hyderabad Gymkhana Satellite Tournament for Women was held from 17 – 19 January, 21 with US$ 600 prize money.  Zynab Khan won the final. 2. BISL in collaboration with Punjab Squash Association organized 4th BISL Southern Punjab International Squash Tournament for Men & Women at DHA Multan, from February 11 to 15, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money each.  In the Men’s final Nasir Iqbal defeated Asim Khan whereas in Women final Madina Zafar beat Zynab Khan and won the tournament titles.  Coupled with the above PSA event, BISL-International League was also conducted at DHA Multan.  Besides Pakistan, a large number of international players from Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Jamaica, Lotivia, Serbia, Switzerland & USA also participated in Men & Women events. 3. SOAP Engineering Squash Open was held at Houston (USA), April 7 to 10, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money.  Amna Fayyaz from Pakistan lost in the Quarter Finals. 4. Life Time International was held in the USA from 08 – 11 April, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money. Abdul Malik from Pakistan lost in the 2nd round whereas Ahsan Ayaz played in the quarter finals. 5. Texas International held in the USA from 29 Apr – 02 May, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money. Abdul Malik from Pakistan lost in the 2nd round. 6. Japan Satellite Evnet-1 held in Japan from May 2-3, 2021 with US$ 1,500 prize money. Haris Iqbal and Abdul Malik from Pakistan lost in the 1st round of the tournament. 7. Auston South Squash Open held in the USA from 20 – 23 May, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money. Abdul Malik from Pakistan lost in the 2nd round. 8. Atlanta Open held in the USA from 02 – 06 June, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money. Huzaifa Ibrahim from Pakistan played the 1st round whereas Abdul Malik lost in the 2nd round. 9. PSF Satellite-1 Tournament for Men was held at Islamabad from 08 – 09 July, 21 with US$ 1,000 Noor Zaman won the final. 10. PSF Satellite-2 Tournament for Men was held at Islamabad from 10 – 11 July, 21 with US$ 1,000.  Noor Zaman won the final. 11. PSF Satellite-3 Tournament for Men was held at Islamabad from 12 – 13 July, 21 with US$ 1,000.  Hamza Sharif won the final. 12. PSF Satellite-4 Tournament for Men was held at Islamabad from 014 – 15 July, 21 with US$ 1,000.  Noor Zaman won the final. 13. PSF-Combaxx Sports Squash Championship was held at Islamabad from 27 – 31 Aug, 21 with US$ 12,000 prize money. Nasir Iqbal won the championship by beating Tayyab Aslam in the final. 14. Marrieta Open was held in the USA, from 8 – 12 Sept, 21 with US$ 25,000 prize money.  Abdul Malik from Pakistan played the 1st round. 15. The Egyptian Open was held in Cairo (Egypt) from 10 – 17 Sept, 21 with US$ 295,000 prize money.  Tayyab Aslam from Pakistan played the 1st round. 16. Nash Cup was held in Canada from 14 – 18 Sept, 21 with US$ 12,000 prize money. Rafi Khan from Pakistan played the 1st round. 17. Queen City Open was held in the USA from 22 – 26 Sept, 21 with US$ 12,000 prize money.  Abdul Malik and Nasir Iqbal participated wherein Nasir Iqbal lost in the semifinals. 18. The Boston Open was held in the USA from 30 Sep – 03 Oct, 21 with US$ 12,000 prize money. Ahsan Ayaz from Pakistan played in the Quarter Finals. 19. Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International for Men & Combaxx International for Women was held at Islamabad from 11 – 15 Oct, 2021 with US$ 30,000 and 12,000 were prize money for men & women respectively.  Besides Pakistan, a large number of players from Egypt, France, Hong Kong, Spain, England and Russia participated. Tayab Aslam lost in the Semi Finals of Men event whereas Sadia Gul & Noor Ul Huda reached Quarter Finals of Women event. 20. BangabanduIspahani Squash Tournament was held in Bangladesh from 20 – 24 October, 21 with US$ 6,000 prize money. Noor Zaman from Pakistan stood runner up during the tournament. 21. The Texas Open was held in the USA from October 20 t0 24, 2021 with US$ 12,000 prize money.  Ahsan Ayaz, Asim Khan & Abdul Malik from Pakistan participated. Asim Khan played the 2nd round. 22. Canadian Open for Women was held from 20 – 24 October, 2021 with US$ 6,000 prize money.  Maria Toor played the 2nd round. 23. Hamilton Open for Women was held in the USA from 26 – 30 Oct, 21 with US$ 12,000 prize money.  Amna Fayyaz and Noreena Shams lost in the 1st round. 24. The 15th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) International for Men was held at Karachi from 02 – 06 Nov, 21 with US$ 20,000 prize money.  Apart from Pakistan, international players from Egypt, Hong Kong, Kuwait and USA also participated.  Tayyab Aslam from Pakistan played in the Semi Finals of the event. 25. The London Open for Women was held in England from 17 – 21 Nov, 21 with US$ 20,000 prize money. Madina Zafar played the 1st round. 26. Malaysian Open was held in Kuala Lumpur from 23 – 27 Nov, 21 with US$ 50,000 prize money.  Tayab Aslam &Asim Khan participated. Asim lost in the 1st round whereas Tayyab Aslam played the 2nd round. 27. The 20th Asian Squash Team Championship was played in Kualalumpur (Malaysia) between 30 Nov – 04 Dec, 21.  A group of 12 Teams entered in Men 's event including India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Japan, Iran, Korea, Philippines, Iraq, Singapore, Sri Lanka & Indonesia. These Teams were divided into 02 Pools.  India, Pakistan, Japan, Philippines, Iraq and Indonesia were in Pool-A, whereas, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Iran, Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka are in Pool-B.  Pakistan team comprised of Tayyab Aslam, Asim Khan, Amaad Fareed and Nasir Iqbal and finished at No 5 in the championship. 28. 21st Asian Individual Squash Championship for Men & Women was organized by Pakistan Squash Federation at Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad from December 15 to 19, 2021.  The Men's event had a draw of 32 players whereas the Women's event had 16 players’ draw. Apart from Pakistan, a group of international players, officials and referees from Hong Kong, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore & Sri Lanka participated.  The Women Event was won by Tong Tsz Wing from Hong Kong however, Pakistani girls could play the 1st round.  In the Men's Event, Ng Eain Yow from Malaysia won the Title. Nasir Iqbal from Pakistan could reach the Semi Finals.  29. Punjab International Squash Tournament was held at Lahore from 21 – 25 Dec, 21 with US$ 6,000 Pakistani players from various parts of the country participating in the tournament. Asim Khan won the tournament. 30. Chief Minister Punjab International held at Lahore from 27 – 31 Dec, 21 with US$ 6,000 prize money. It was an all Pakistani players fixture. Tayyab Aslam beat Israr Ahmed Khan in the final.

Peshawar (Sports Report):-Superstar Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi called on Inspector General (IG) Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Moazzam Jahan Ansari in his office at Central Police Office Peshawar on Saturday. The IGP also offered to appoint Shaheen Shah Afridi as the brand ambassador of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Force for establishing close and cordial relations between the police and the people, which he gladly accepted as a great honor for him. ? Talking to IGP, Shaheen Shah Afridi revealed that his father and uncle had also made valuable sacrifices for the nation by being part of law enforcement agencies. Appreciating the sacrifices made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police in the ongoing war on terror, Shaheen Afridi said that he was immensely happy and proud of the bravery and unparalleled sacrifices made by the police of the province at the national and international level.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-India have been fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in the first Test held in Centurion. Andrew Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India was one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.11 of the ICC Men’s World Test Championship Playing Conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, India will lose one point from their points tally for this offence. Captain, Virat Kohli pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. Umpires Marais Erasmus, Adrian Holdstock, Allahudien Paleker and Bongani Jele leveled the charge.

Sports Bulletin Report DUBAHI (January 2, 2022):-The ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has long been a nursery for the games’ future stars and the 2022 tournament will be no different. This month, the world’s most exciting teenagers will arrive en masse to the West Indies dreaming of runs, wickets and ultimately, glory. However, they will have to go some to break some of the individual records that have been amassed in the previous 13 editions. MOST RUNS There’s a familiar name at the top of the runs column but instead of plundering boundaries for England, like he does now, Eoin Morgan competed for Ireland at the ICC U19 Men’s CWC in both 2004 and 2006. He played 13 times across the two tournaments and underlined his class by scoring 606 runs at an average of 50.50, including two centuries. Pakistan’s Babar Azam, another global superstar, is second on the list with 585, while other familiar names in the top 10 include West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite (548), India’s Shikhar Dhawan (505) and Australia’s Shaun Marsh (471). Dhawan scored all 505 of his runs in just one tournament in 2004, the most by any one batter in one competition. HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORE West Indies’ Donovan Pagon held this record for 16 years but in the space of just six days, it was broken twice. Pagon scored 176 against Scotland in 2002 in Dunedin and, again in New Zealand, the record fell in 2018. First, it was home favourite Jakob Bhula who set a new highest score, as he hit 10 fours and five sixes in a 144-ball 180 against Kenya. Kenya were back in action six days on and were again on the wrong side of history as Sri Lanka’s Hasitha Boyagoda his 28 fours in a 152-ball 191. MOST CENTURIES Most players only compete in a handful of ICC U19 Men’s CWC matches in their lives, so racking up hundreds can be difficult to do. England’s Jack Burnham and India’s Dhawan currently share the record, with three each. Burnham set his across six matches in 2016, while Dhawan’s three also came in one edition of the tournament in 2004. HIGHEST PARTNERSHIP Burnham had a stellar campaign in 2016 and he holds another record alongside current England Test batter Dan Lawrence. The pair put on a mighty 303 for the second wicket in England’s match against Fiji in 2016, a game they won by 299 runs. Lawrence was named Player of the Match for his superb 174, while Burnham was not far behind by making 148. New Zealand’s BJ Watling and Brad Wilson are second on this list, after combining for 273 against Scotland in 2004. MOST WICKETS The leading wicket-takers list is packed with familiar names.  England’s Tim Bresnan, an Ashes series winner, took 25 wickets in 13 matches between 2002 and 2004, while South Africa’s left-arm paceman Wayne Parnell snared 23 in just nine. But top of the order is Zimbabwe’s Wesley Madhevere, who competed in three tournaments in 2016, 2018 and the last in 2020. The spinner has played 18 times and has 28 wickets to his name, with best figures of five for 24, but the most wickets in one tournament belongs to Bangladesh’s Enamul Haque – who took 22 in 2004. That’s three more than Wayne Holdsworth (Australia, 1988), Mushtaq Ahmed (Pakistan, 1988), Riaz Afridi (Pakistan, 2004) and Reece Topley (England, 2012). Afridi is also one of four players, alongside his compatriot Anwar Ali, Afghanistan's Shafiqullah Ghafari and Ireland’s Greg Thompson, to take two five-wicket hauls. BEST BOWLING FIGURES Australia’s Lloyd Pope tore through England’s batting line-up in Queenstown in 2018, the leg-spinner taking an incredible eight for 35 from 9.4 overs. Pope is the only player in tournament history to take eight wickets in an innings, but there are a few with seven – including current New Zealand star Trent Boult, who took seven for 20 against Malaysia in 2008. MOST CATCHES One for the wicketkeepers, India’s Sarfaraz Khan has taken the most catches in tournament history by safely grabbing 13 in 12 matches. That’s one more than West Indies’ Narsingh Deonarine and three more than Zimbabwe’s Sean Ervine.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Pakistan Navy claimed the title of the 6th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Open Shooting championship by winning 20 gold medals at the end of the day-7 competitions at Pakistan Navy Shooting Rang Karachi. Pakistan Army team remained on second position with 13 gold medals while WAPDA could lift one gold in the national championship. Results (Day-7): Double Trap (Men): Pakistan Army won Gold, Navy Silver and PAF Bronze Medal in team categories. In individual category, Pakistan Navy Shooter, Owais Ali won Gold, Farrukh Nadeem and Junaid Ali Zulfiqar from Pakistan Army won Silver and Bronze Medals. 10m Air Pistol Men (Individual Event): In individual category Pakistan Navy shooter Abdul Majid won Gold, Zeeshan from Pakistan Army Silver and Rayyan Hassan from Navy won Bronze Medal. 10m Air Pistol Women (Individual Event): In individual category Pakistan Navy Shooters Mafia Rauf & Hania Zehra won Gold & Silver, Waniya from Pakistan Army won Bronze Medal. Double Trap Men (Team Position): 1st Farrukh Nadeem, Junaid Ali Zulfiqar, Amir Iqbal (Army) Gold 2nd Owais Ali, Mohammad Mubeen, Amin Ullah (Navy) Silver 3rd Waqas Khan, Mehdi, Abdul Wahid (PAF) Bronze 10m Air Pistol Men (Individual Event): 1st Abdul Majid (Navy) Gold 2nd Zeeshan Khan (Army) Silver 3rd Rayyan Hassan (Navy) Bronze 10m Air Pistol Women (Individual Event): 1st Mafia Rauf (Navy) Gold 2nd Hania Zahra (Navy) Silver 3rd Waniya (Army) Bronze                                     Medals Table (Day-7) a.            NAVY                   20                           19                           08                                           47 b.            ARMY                  13                           13                           08                                           34 c.             WAPDA               01                           --                              01                                         02 d.            HEC                     --                             01                           04                                           05 e.            SINDH                 --                             01                           03                                           04 f.             PAF                      --                             --                             09                                           09 g.            FRA                     --                             --                             01                                           01 Grand Total                        34                            34                            34                                         102

Sports Bulletin Report Mount Maunganui (January 1, 2022):-Hosts New Zealand posted 258 for 5 runs on the board in the first Test match against Bangladesh that started at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand on Saturday. Bangladesh decided to field first after winning the toss. Devon Conway returned from injury and promptly struck his second century in Test cricket, on his home debut in the format. New Zealand, as a result, finished ahead of Bangladesh on the first day in Mount Maunganui, going to stumps 258 for 5 on New Year's Day. Conway scored 122 off 227 balls with 16 fours and a six over midwicket, which brought up his fifty after lunch. He steadied New Zealand after an early wicket with a 138-run second wicket stand with Will Young, who made 52. Ebadot also got a reward at the end of the day when he had Tom Blundell bowled off the inside edge, giving Bangladesh something to be pleased about as they trudged off the ground. Much of the day had belonged to the hosts, though. Shoriful removed New Zealand's stand-in captain Tom Latham in the fourth over of the morning - the left-arm quick got one to nip back into Latham, who inside edged the ball on to his pad and it lobbed behind where wicketkeeper Liton Das dived in front of the first slip to complete the catch. It was a big wicket given Latham was averaging 90-plus against Bangladesh before this game.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 1, 2022):-Top seed Aqeel Khan, Mohammad Shoaib, Mohammad Abid and Muzammil Murtaza qualified for the Men’s Singles semifinals of the 7th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan (BKSK) National Ranking Tennis Tournaments 2021-22 after beating Shahzad Khan, Heera Ashiq, Mudassir Murtaza and Yousaf Khalil respectively straight sets 2-0 at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex, garden Avenue Islamabad on Saturday. Meanwhile, in the Ladies Singles, Sarah Mahboob defeated Noor Malik 6-4 and 6-1 in the first semifinal while Ushna Suhail outclassed Mahvish Chishtie 2-0 with the score-line of 6-0 and 6-1. The Ladies’ Singles final will be played on Sunday morning at the same venue. Results: Men's Singles Matches (Quarter-Finals): Aqeel Khan bt Shahzad Khan 6-2, 6-2 Mohammad Shoaib bt Heera Ashiq 6-4, 6-2 Mohammad Abid bt Mudassir Murtaza 6-2, 6-2 Muzammil Murtaza bt Yousaf Khalil 6-1, 6-1 Ladies Singles (Semi-Finals): Sarah Mahboob bt Noor Malik 6-4, 6-1 Ushna Suhail bt Mahvish Chishtie 6-0, 6-1 Boy's 18&Under Singles (Quarter-Finals): Hasheesh Kumar bt Shaeel Durab 6-1, 6-3 Ahmed Nael Qureshi bt Faizan Fayyaz 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 Sami Zeb bt Uzair Khan 6-4, 6-1 Mahatir Mohammad bt Mohammad Talha Khan 6-3, 7-5 Girls Under-18 Singles (Quarter-Finals): Amna Ali Qayum bt Soha Ali 6-2, 6-1 Sheeza Sajid bt Zaineb Ali Raja 6-3, 7-5 Natalia Zaman bt Fatima Ali Raja 6-0, 6-0 Boys Under-14 Singles (Quarter-Finals): Asad Zaman bt Abdul Basit 4-1, 4-2 Abubakar Talha bt Amir Mazari 4-1, 5-4(3) Mohammad Salar bt Zohaib Afzal Malik 4-2, 5-3 Mohammad Ibrahim Ashraf bt Hamza Roman 5-4(9), 4-1 Boys / Girls Under-12 Singles (Quarter-Finals): Abubakar Talha bt Mohammad Haziq Aasim 4-1, 4-0 Nabeel Ali Qayum bt Lalarukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Amir Mazari bt Abdul Basit 4-1, 4-0.

Andrew Podnieks---- It was the best of times and the worst of times, a time of triumph and a time of sadness. There were celebrations, and there were quarantines, great goals and empty arenas. There were thrilling tournaments, and cancellations, star performances and players in isolation. The IIHF world has never seen a year like 2021, so as we look back at the complexities of the last 365 days, we can be thankful for what we have had and be mindful that a worldwide pandemic took away some things we’re used to. January 2021 The New Year started as it always has for the last 45 years, at the World Junior Championship. Red Deer was removed as co-host so Hockey Canada could create as 10-team bubble for everyone in Edmonton. Rogers Place was empty, but the games went on safely. The low point was when Germany had to face Canada with a mere 15 skaters because of Covid protocols, but the high point came when the hosts faced their geographic rivals in the gold-medal game. The U.S. spoiled the party, winning 2-0, on goals by Alex Turcotte and Trevor Zegras, and a shutout by Spencer Knight. It was their fifth all-time gold at the U20, and the fourth time they defeated Canada to win it. Zegras led all scorers with 18 points, the most in a decade at the U20. He went on to create the most buzz-worthy goal of 2021, with Anaheim, using “the Michigan” from behind the net to set up Sonny Milano for a one-of-a-kind goal. April-May 2021 The men’s U18 was scheduled to take place in Plymouth, Michigan, USA Hockey’s home base for its marquee NTDP, but once again Covid prevented the tournament from going ahead as planned. The Dallas Stars with their facilities in Frisco and Plano, Texas, however, stood up and hosted a couple of weeks later, and the bubbled event took place safely and successfully. It was the first IIHF event ever held in the Lone Star State. Nearly 20 years after the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry began, Texas can also lay claim to the start of another Canada-Russia pairing in 15-year-old Connor Bedard, and 16-year-old Matvei Michkov. Both were sensational for their teams, but Canada had its best U18 roster in years and won gold with a perfect 7-0 record, scoring 51 goals and allowing only 12. Meanwhile, the round-robin in Frisco (Group B) played host to one of the most memorable World Junior games of all time. Russia beat the U.S., 7-6, in overtime, on a Nikita Chibrikov goal. The Americans led 2-0, 5-1, and 6-4, but couldn’t hold the lead, and the Russians stormed back to tie the game in the third before winning in OT. May-June 2021 The World Championship had its latest start and finish ever (21 May to 6 June) because of Covid, and arenas had to be empty for most games, but again the IIHF and host Riga managed to pull off a successful event. Minsk was removed as co-host for safety concerns, giving Riga sole hosting rights as it had in 2006, the last and only previous time the Worlds had been held in Latvia. Canada won gold, which in and of itself would come as no surprise to any hockey fan, but it won in a manner never before achieved in 92 years of World Championship play. Canada lost its first three games of the round robin, yet rallied to win with a series of great games along with a little luck with other results. During that 0-3 run, Latvia beat Canada for the first time ever, and the U.S. beat them, 5-1, the worst result in that WM rivalry. But when forward Andrew Mangiapane came out of quarantine, the Canadian team was different. He played MVP hockey the rest of the way, and Nick Paul scored the golden goal in OT to give Canada gold. They defeated Finland, which had bested Canada in the previous year’s gold-medal game. The lesser-known Finns were led by towering captain Markko Anttila. At the other end of the spectrum, because of the late start, the late-running NHL playoffs, and Covid worries, the Swedes iced a team that finished a shocking 9th, its worst placing since 1937 (9th also). Along the way, the Danes beat Tre Kronor for the first time ever, 4-3, on the first day of the tournament. August-September 2021 There was no more divisive, disappointing, controversial, and, in the end, feel-good story, than the Women’s World Championship. It had been scheduled for Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada, for April 2020, but same as all other IIHF tournaments that spring was cancelled when Covid was at its apex. A year later, those hosts were ready again, but only a short time before the start date it was pushed back and then cancelled by the provincial government one day before team arrival. Women from around the hockey world spoke out, but behind the scenes the IIHF and Hockey Canada kept their promise and worked towards an alternate plan, and the WW took place in an empty arena and bubble in late August, in Calgary. In the early going, the star of the show was American Hilary Knight, who became the all-time goals leader at the Women’s Worlds. A bit later, Hungary defeated Denmark, 5-1, for its first ever WW win, and in the playoffs the Swiss staged a sensational rally to defeat ROC, 3-2, in overtime of the quarter-finals. But those were all preambles to another great gold medal game between the North Americans. The U.S. was favoured because they were not only reigning Olympic champions, they had also won the last five WW tournaments dating back to 2013. But Canada rallied from a 2-0 deficit, and captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who has two gold-medal winning goals at the Olympics to her credit, wired a hard shot crossbar and in to win it for Canada for the first time in a decade. December 2021 The teams arrived early in Edmonton and Red Deer to prepare for the World Juniors, but they did so at a time when omicron was just about to explode across Alberta, Canada, and the world. The games started, punctuated by a second thrilling round of Bedard vs. Michkov which saw the Russian score three goals in two games and Bedard score four in a single game. But the Covid case counts started to rise and three games had to be cancelled with teams put in quarantine. The IIHF, in consultation with Hockey Canada and tournament doctors, saw no option but to cancel the tournament. Immediately all parties concerned promised to explore options to re-start the tournament in June or July, same as they did earlier for other cancelled tournaments such as the U18 Women's Worlds. Fingers crossed, but as we have seen over the last two years, Covid will tell everyone what to do, and the hockey world will be asked once again to be flexible.