SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (September 23, 2020):-After six long months, the FIH Hockey Pro League made a welcome return on Tuesday (22 September), with Germany women and Belgium men both recording fine victories in double headers between the neighbouring nations in Düsseldorf.  The first FIH Hockey Pro League match since March went the way of Germany, who shook off any rustiness caused by the lengthy lay-off by recording a 2-0 victory over Belgium's Red Panthers.  Remarkably, it was Die Danas' first FIH Hockey Pro League match of the season, with the COVID-19 global health pandemic putting the competition on hold before they could even take to the field.  Despite a strong start from the visiting Belgians, Germany were thoroughly deserving of the three points, dominating possession, circle penetration and penalty corner statistics as well as the score-line, with Naomi Heyn and Lena Micheel scoring the decisive goals.   Germany's Janne Müller-Wieland, who was named Player of the Match, said: "I think in the end we were more aggressive, maybe. We had more chances as well, so I think it is a fair win. We have to have a good cool-down. We only have 24 hours before we are playing again, and there is still a long list [of things] to improve for us." Belgium's Barbara Nelen said: "I think it was a difficult game. We started a new season now, with new girls, and two new 'presses'. We tried a lot of things. We made some mistakes in the press, and I think Germany also found directly the solutions. They are a smart team, so that is why it was difficult to defend." In the men’s match, reigning world champions Belgium found themselves under early pressure from hosts Germany but grew in stature as the game progressed, going on to record a resounding 6-1 victory over their European rivals.  The Red Lions took the lead just before the break thanks to Gauthier Boccard before quickfire goals from Alexander Hendrickx, William Ghislain and Nicolas de Kerpel opened up a 4-0 advantage just minutes after half time. Lukas Windfeder’s ferocious penalty corner pulled a goal back for Germany, but strikes from Antoine Kina and Loick Luypaert ensured that Belgium claimed a comfortable win to extend their lead at the top of the FIH Hockey Pro League table.  Player of the match Boccard, who scored arguably the goal of the game with a brilliant individual strike to break the deadlock, said: "I think we pressed well in the second quarter and the second half. We won some good balls in their half, and we started to get some early goals. For the rest, when you score three or four goals you could see the confidence. We had good ball possession and finished the game well." Looking ahead to tomorrow's rematch against Germany, Boccard said his team would prepare 'the same way as we did today. We have to lift our level a bit more, like we did by the end of the game. The second game will be different, it is zero-zero and we will go for a second win." The matches were played behind closed doors, with strict COVID-19 protocols being followed by the teams, staff, officials and everyone within the venue. The Germany and Belgium men’s and women’s teams will return to the field for the second matches of their respective double headers on Wednesday (23 September).  FIH Hockey Pro League  Friday 22 September 2020 – Düsseldorf (GER) Women’s result: Germany 2, Belgium 0 (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Janne Müller-Wieland (GER) Umpires: Alison Keogh (IRL), Sarah Wilson (SCO) and Marcin Grochal (POL - video) Men’s result: Germany 1, Belgium 6 (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Gauthier Boccard (BEL) Umpires: Martin Madden (SCO), Marcin Grochal (POL) and Sarah Wilson (SCO - video)

SB REPORT ISLAMABAD (September 22, 2020):-All players and player support personnel, except two individuals whose results are pending, belonging to the Second XI teams of the six Cricket Associations tested negative in their second Covid-19 tests, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today. As such, they will now enter the bio-secure zone at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore. From Wednesday, the six teams will begin their training for the National T20 Cup Second XI tournament at the Gaddafi Stadium and National High Performance Centre in Lahore. Fawad Alam, captain of Sindh for the National T20 Cup Second XI tournament, will travel to Lahore tomorrow and have his second Covid-19 test on 24 September. His first Covid-19 had returned negative. Meanwhile, Faisal Iqbal and Wasim Haider, the head coach and assistant coach of Balochistan First XI team, have returned negative tests and, as such, will be allowed to travel to Multan tomorrow following the completion of their quarantine.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (September 22, 2020):-Razi Sports Academy (RSA) will participate in the 28th National Sports Festival 2020 for People with Different Abilities at Peshawar to be held from September 24 to 27 at Qayyum Stadium Peshawar. According to an official of RSA, the 4-day festival is being organized by KP Sports Directorate at Qayuum Stadium Peshawar from 24-27th September 2020. Special players male and female from all over the Pakistan will take part in multiple games in a large numbers of categories. Describing the details Raziuddin Ahmad CEO of the academy said that our boys team would be participating in Athletics, Badminton, Cricket, Tennis and Crutches Race standing category of polio affected upper and lower disabilities. RSA contingent is comprising on Raziuddin Ahmad Head of the Delegation, Mohammad Nawaz Gohar Manager / Player, Shahid Hussain, Mushtaq Haider, Umair Ali, Shabir Jan Khalil, Mohammad Asfaq Shakir, Shahid Ali, Mohammad Arsalan, Mohammad Bilal, Bilal Ayyaz and Asif Qadir. It is pertinent to mention here that Razi Academy honored to have gold medals winning badminton championships three times in the previous national festivals 2015, 2016 and 2018. 

By BIPIN DANI Devdutt Padikkal, who made his debut for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the IPL is the best young (Under 20) batting talent in the World in T20, according to Prad Navaratnam, the Sri Lanka-born computer analyst. The left-handed opening batsman was the highest scorer for Virat Kohli-led team, which has Australia's current and South Africa's former captains- Aaron Finch and AB de Villiers. In 2019, Padikkal not only went on to cement his spot in all 3 Karnataka teams as an opening batsman alongside the likes of KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal & Karun Nair, but also topped the run-scorers list in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 over competition) & the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (domestic T20 competition). "Focusing specifically on his T20 performances, Padikkal not only managed to not get out for a duck but also hit the most number of 6s in the competition",  Prad Navaratnam says. "The size of the grounds becomes irrelevant when you realise the 2nd highest number of 6s hit was 22. Padikkal managed to hit 50% more sixes than the next best". "Padikkal is best analysed when compared against other batters with more significant experience — Dinesh Karthik (KKR), Suryakumar Yadav (MI), Nitish Rana (KKR) & Kedhar Jadhav (CSK) — and took their performance data from the same competition.These are players that are regular fixtures in their IPL teams.  "Padikkal has managed a feat not many batters are able to achieve. In cricket, usually there are players that are able to score fast or players that score consistently well. In Padikkal, Karnataka & RCB have a player that has shown the ability to do both", Prad, who is a front runner for SLC's Brain Centre observed. Though Padikkal didn't hit a sixer in his debut IPL innings of 56 runs, but Prad, though his Impakt Score algorithm has noted that the average number of 6s per innings for the Top 200 batsmen in the last 12 months was 1.13 and Padikkal averaged 2.75. The Impakt Score algorithm is built to help rank every player according to their performance data and is made up of multiple performance metrics & calculations that look at a variety of measures including batting position, quality of bowlers faced, etc and then provide a single rating that I use to rank every batsman. "Like the rest of the world, I can’t wait to watch him take on the big leagues in the not too distant future",  Navaratnam, signed off.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (September 22, 2020):-Qatar-based GWC (Q.P.S.C.), a leader in supply chain solutions including warehousing, freight forwarding, commercial, fine art, and event logistics services, was announced as the first Regional Supporter and Official Logistics Provider for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. As such, GWC will be the key operational supplier of logistics solutions for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 GWC, which was the National Supporter and Official Logistics Provider for the FIFA Club World Cup 2019™, will build on this experience and draw on its robust network of contacts throughout the world to deliver logistics and supply chain services for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Speaking about the announcement, FIFA’s Chief Commercial Officer Simon Thomas said: “Logistics are critical to an event as large and complex as the FIFA World Cup, so having GWC on board as a Regional Supporter and the Official Logistics Provider for the tournament will provide FIFA and its Commercial Affiliates with crucial support and expertise in logistics and supply chain management, which will ensure a smooth and efficient delivery of the competition.” GWC Chairman Sh. Abdulla bin Fahad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al-Thani said: “Today marks a landmark achievement in the history of GWC as we are entrusted to deliver the logistical requirements for the FIFA World Cup 2022, and today we become a trusted player in the journey towards 2022, proudly doing our part in actualising another milestone of Qatar’s vision. We enter this agreement with confidence that we will showcase the world-class sporting and logistics infrastructure that Qatar has developed over the years, while embodying the values of sportsmanship and encouraging active engagement of football enthusiasts and wider audiences.” GWC has a logistical infrastructure covering more than three million square metres, including the largest privately owned logistics hub in the region, along with a team of dedicated and innovative specialists and state-of-the-art IT systems. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will take place from 21 November until 18 December in eight stadiums around Qatar – three of which are already fully operational, with two more scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (September 22, 2020):-Pakistan was one of the first nations to embrace T20 cricket and was the fourth country after England, South Africa and Sri Lanka to stage a national T20 competition. To date, the Pakistan Cricket Board have organised 16 National T20 Cup tournaments, which have brought country’s top talent to forefront and has produced some of the most iconic performances – both individual and team – ever recorded in T20 cricket It is due to the talent produced by these tournaments that Pakistan have been a highly successful team at international level. They reached the final of the first two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups – in 2007 and 2009, winning the latter at Lord’s, the home of cricket, by defeating Sri Lanka to be crowned champions. Pakistan were the only team to reach at least the semi-finals of the first four ICC Men’s T20 World Cups. No team in the world has won more T20Is than Pakistan’s 93 and they were at the top of the ICC T20I Rankings for more than two years in a run that stretched until early this year. Over the course of their dominant run, Pakistan won 11 consecutive T20I series. The National T20 Cup has a rich history of introducing players who went on to serve Pakistan globally. The prime example being Saeed Ajmal who was man-of-the-final for taking three wickets in Faisalabad Wolves’ title win against Karachi Dolphins in the maiden edition of the tournament held in Lahore in 2005. The off-spinner later became number one bowler in the ICC T20I Rankings and played a vital role, taking 12 wickets, in Pakistan’s 2009 World Cup triumph. With 89 scalps, he is the leading wicket taker in the National T20 Cup’s history. The PCB’s domestic season 2020-21 will commence with the National T20 Cup First XI tournament, which commences on 30 September at the Multan Cricket Stadium. From the onset, Northern will begin title defence as they play the tournament-opener against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Teams from Sialkot and Lahore have been the most successful in the tournament’s history. They have shared 11 out of 16 titles between them. While Sialkot Stallions have won the tournament six times, teams from Lahore have won it on five occasions (Lahore Lions three, Lahore Blues one and Lahore Whites one). The remaining five titles have gone to Peshawar Panthers, Peshawar Region, Faisalabad Wolves, Karachi Blues and Northern. The Lahore Lions team that won the tournament in 2014 went on to play Champions League T20 that year in India where they famously defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in Raipur and narrowly missed out on a semi-final berth. It was in National T20 Cup that Sialkot Stallions caught the world’s attention by winning 25 matches in a row between 2006 and 2010 – the biggest winning streak in the format’s history. They won four consecutive tournaments in that period. The tournament has always been a host to many exciting performances. A case in point is Imran Nazir’s 50 off 14 balls for Sialkot Stallions against Lahore Eagles in Lahore in 2005, which remains the quickest 50 recorded on Pakistan soil in T20 cricket. Another enterprising innings in a tournament edition came off Umar Akmal’s bat when he knocked a 43-ball hundred – including 34 runs off an over – for Lahore Whites against Rawalpindi Region in Multan in 2016. This remains the fastest hundred in the tournament’s history. Khurram Manzoor has the most runs – 2,235 at an average of 30.20 – in tournament’s history including three centuries. Ahmed Shehzad is the other batsman to cross the 100-run mark thrice in the National T20 Cup’s history. Only one Pakistan batsman has registered the milestone of 150 in T20 cricket. It was in the 2017 edition when wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal smashed an unbeaten 150 for Lahore Whites against Islamabad Region at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. The record of the best bowling figures in an innings is held by Irfanuddin, off-spinner, who recorded six for 25 against Sialkot Stallions at Karachi’s National Stadium in the semi-final of the 2005-06 edition. Mohammad Asif has the cheapest five-wicket haul (five for 11) in the tournament’s history. It came in the same edition and at the same venue when Sialkot Stallions bowled out Faisalabad Wolves for 98.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (September 22, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday disclosed that around nine millions would be prize money of National Twenty 20 Cricket Tournament, which would be kicked off on 30 September, as the tournament’s winning prize money. Northern led by Imad Wasim will defend their title. The runner-up will receive PKR2.5million, while PKR400,000 will be shared equally between the tournament’s top performers which include player of the tournament, best batsman of the tournament, best bowler of the tournament and best wicketkeeper of the tournament. The best performer of every match will get PKR25,000 as the man-of-the-match award while the top performer of the tournament’s finale at 18 October will be rewarded with PKR35,000. These will be over and above earnings for the players from what they will receive as match fee and monthly retainers and is in line with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s policy of providing incentives to top performing cricketers, which will enhance the quality of domestic cricket and lead to a competitive environment while increasing the interest of the viewers. The top performing domestic cricketers are already in line to earn to in a range of PKR3.2million to PKR1.8million only on the basis of their match fee and improved and enhanced monthly retainer structure, which was approved by the PCB’s Board of Governors in their 58th meeting. More details are available here. Director High Performance, Nadeem Khan: “The Pakistan Cricket Board’s focus is to invest the money that it earns back in cricket by providing the players a bigger chunk of the pie through substantial and lucrative rewards so they excel in the game. “There has been a massive improvement in the remuneration structure this year which presents better earning opportunities for the players. The PCB despite the Covid-19 pandemic has invested more in the prize money pool with the number of group matches being doubled this year. The PCB had put in great effort to make sure that the 2020-21 domestic season was organised as it was important for the livelihood of our players. “As such, now the players not only have more competitive cricket to polish their skills and get more matches under their belt, but they also have more earning opportunities.” The National T20 Cup First XI tournament will be played from 30 September to 18 October at Multan Cricket Stadium and the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.    

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (September 20, 2020):-As many as 125 players and player support personnel belonging to six Cricket Association Second XI squads for the National T20 Cup were invited to their respective central stations today after they tested negative in their first Covid-19 tests. They will undergo their second tests on 21 September under the supervision of the PCB medical team at their respective central stations, which are Lahore’s Hotel PC for Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Southern Punjab, and Muridke Country Club for Balochistan and Sindh.

By BIPIN DANI Family and friends of Yuvraj Singh have not forgotten the date (September 19) when the all-rounder took a shine to Stuart Broad 13 years ago. Yuvraj Singh became the second batsman, after Herschelle Gibbs, to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket (in the World T20 encounter against England at the Kingsmead, Durban). The bowler under the withering onslaught was Stuart Broad. Yuvraj launched the first ball over cow corner; the second - measured at 111 yards - disappeared over backward square leg; the third and fourth rocketed over extra cover and point; the fifth flew over midwicket; and the sixth six landed in the stands at long-on. Yuvraj also hit a 12-ball half-century. "I invited all cricketers who played with him right from his childhood and celebrated Yuvi's 6 sixes with six cakes prepared for the occasion at DAV college cricket ground (Chandigarh), '' the father, former fast bowler, Yograj Singh, said exclusively.   "Champion of champions" were the words written on each of the 6 cakes. Yuvraj and his wife joined the celebration on a video. "I have known Yuvraj from a very young age. He liked to hit the ball from a very young age. He has enormous talent and can make a comeback if he wishes to", Ajay Sikka, the former Ranji Trophy cricketer, who attended the celebration, said.  Nagesh Guptal, the coach in Chandigarh, who also attended the party, said, "it was clear from a very young age that he is going to make it big in international cricket and so he did". "He once in a State level match at UNA hit a whole lot of balls out of the ground. So from a very early age you could recognize the power he had that gold like swing was different from other players". Girish Bhanot, Sanjay Dhull, Gurinder Singh, Munish Aggarwal, Ajay Sikka and few other cricketer-friends attended the party, which was followed by a dance and a dinner.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (September 19, 2020):-All players and player support personnel of the six Cricket Association First XI sides, who were invited to their respective central stations, have tested negative in their second Covid-19 tests. They will now enter the bio-secure zone today in which they will be able to roam and interact with each other freely. Balochistan and Sindh, who were stationed at Lahore Country Club Murdike, will travel to Multan’s Ramada Hotel in team busses to join the other four sides. Central Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal had requested to delay his admission in the bio-secure zone and, as such, his second Covid-19 test will be done on 23 September. Subject to returning a negative result, Kamran will join his team on 24 September. Like the other 102 squad members, Kamran had also tested negative in the first Covid-19 test. Meanwhile, for breaching the Covid-19 protocols, Balochistan head coach Faisal Iqbal and assistant coach Wasim Haider have been quarantined at Lahore Country Club Murdike. They will be tested twice over the next five days and will be required to return negative results in both tests before they are allowed to join the team in Multan. Both Faisal and Wasim will bear the costs of these tests. Head of PCB Covid-19 Medical Team, Dr Riaz Ahmed: “The Pakistan Cricket Board has zero tolerance policy and will take stern action against those who breach the Covid-19 protocols over the course of the season. “The strict implementation of these protocols, which have been designed after meticulous planning, is the need of the hour. Such breaches have the potential to put the whole season in jeopardy and, more importantly, the lives of fellow players, coaches and all those associated with the game in danger. “This should be a message for everyone involved in the upcoming season that the PCB will take strict action against anyone who decides to go against the protocols. As we are in unprecedented times, this season is going to be different than the previous ones and, as such, everyone’s cooperation is necessary to make it a success.” From Sunday, the six teams will begin their training at the Multan Cricket Stadium and Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre to prepare for the National T20 Cup, which commences from 30 September.