By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 2, 2020):-To seed and Pakistan number one tennis lad Aqeel Khan won the Men’s Single title of 33rd Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championship – 2020 by beating Muzammil Murtaza 2-1 in a three sets match at Dilawar Abbas Tennis Complex, Islamabad on Sunday. Aqeel Khan built up the lead 2-0, by breaking the first game of Muzammil Murtaza. Murtaza leveled the score 2 all in the first set breaking the fourth game of Aqeel Khan. Muzammil won the first set at 6-3 by breaking 8th game of Aqeel Khan, by displaying powerful stokes from the baseline. In the 2nd set, score went up to 3 all, as both the players hold their respective service. Aqeel Khan won the 2nd set at 6-3 by breaking 8th game of Muzammil after a long deuce. Both the players displayed the quality tennis. In the final set, Aqeel Khan again took the lead 2-0 by breaking the first game of final set from Muzammil Murtaza by 0-40. When Aqeel Khan won the 6th game by holding his own serve and took the lead 4-2, Muzammil conceded the match due to the injury at 4-2. Finally, Aqeel Khan declared winner and the champion of 33rd Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championship, as the final match lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. Husnain Mehmood performed the duty of chair referee. Aqeel Khan got the cash price of Rs. 60,000 along with beautiful trophy, whereas Muzammil Murtaza pocketed Rs. 40,000 as runner up. Shahzad and Abid won the double title. Ladies singles final between Sara Mansoor and Sarah Mahboob will be played on 14th Feb, 2020 after the arrival of ladies team from New Zealand. Total amount Rs. 350,000 as prize money was distributed among the winners, as well as daily allowance paid to outstation players. Secretary Islamabad Tennis Association Arif Qureshi paid great tribute to Late Syed Dilawar Abbas for the establishment of ITA and valuable contribution for the uplift of tennis, not only in Islamabad also throughout the country. He was also patron Tariq Murtaza President ITA and Chairman RDCA grace the occasion as chief guest and distributed the cash prizes among the winners. Medals were also awarded to the members of ladies team, which won the bronze medal in the National Games. Salim Saifullah Khan President PTF, Khawar Hyat SEVP, Col. Gul Rehman[R], Saeed Ahmed, Hassan Baig, Nighat Said and tennis lovers witness the entertaining final.

SB News ISLAMABAD (February 2, 2020):-The Pakistan national women’s team reached Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia yesterday ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which begins later this month. As part of their preparations for the all-important tournament, Pakistan Women will play West Indies Women in three warm-up matches on 7, 9 and 11 February at Tewantin Noosa Cricket Club. Prior to their departure from Karachi, Bismah Maroof, the captain of the side who will be featuring in her seventh shorter format’s World Cup, and Javeria Khan, the former Pakistan captain, discussed the squad line-up, which comprises experience of senior players and exuberance of youth, and the excitement in the team around the tournament. Bismah Maroof, who will lead Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup, said: “As a captain I am leading Pakistan for the first time in the World Cup. I am excited for it as leading your nation in a global tournament is a different responsibility. The team has been performing well and I hope that the same pattern will continue in the World Cup. “We have a very young squad. There are three to four senior players and in such tournaments there is an added responsibility on the experienced players to deliver match-winning performances. Even our youngsters have that spark to play good cricket and deliver. “If we take a look at our victories in the recent past, they have been because of the team’s combined efforts. We have an exciting pool of cricketers and I am very hopeful that if we bring out our top game on a particular day, we will produce positive results. “My message to the fans is to keep supporting us. We will play our best cricket and produced best possible results.” Javeria Khan, who has the experience of 97 T20Is, said: “You have to control your nerves in the World Cup as this is a big event and almost every game is a knock out. I would suggest you [Bismah Maroof] to enjoy this role as one don’t get such opportunities often. The team is young and it has that spark. “As an opener my job is to provide profound starts to the team and build on them. I will look to facilitate Muneeba Ali, a young batter who is making her comeback, when I walk into the middle with her.” “I am hopeful that we will do well in the World Cup.” The Bismah Maroof-led side begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 journey on 26 February against the West Indies Women. They take on England Women on February 28 after which they play South Africa Women and Thailand Women on 1 and 3 March. Pakistan squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) and Syeda Aroob Shah Officials: Syed Iqbal Imam (head coach), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Amir Iqbal (fielding coach), Gemaal Hussain (strength & conditioning coach), Dr Riffat Asghar Gill (physio), Aisha Jalil (team manager) and Zubair Ahmed (analyst).

SB Report ISLAMABAD (February 2, 2020):-As promised by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani, the first meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Board of Governors of the year and 57th overall, will be held in a local hotel in Peshawar on Tuesday, 4 February 2020. This will be the first-ever meeting in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital. Last year, Quetta had held the 53rd BoG meeting as part of the PCB strategy to hold meetings across the country so that there was alignment and ownership of the local stakeholders. Some of the matters that will be discussed in Peshawar are: i)                    Chairman and CEO’s reports ii)                  Model constitution for the City Cricket Associations iii)                Audit Committee’s report iv)                NOC policy for foreign leagues v)                  PCB Strategic Plan vi)                Update on the recruitment process of the PCB’s Chief Operating Officer vii)              Cricket update

SB Report ISLAMABAD (February 1, 2020):-Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Elevens outplayed Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Elevens by 12 runs in an exhibition cricket match at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad on Saturday. PSB Eleven captain Amna Imran won the toss and elected to bat first. PSB piled up a total of 131 for 6 runs in 10 overs. Rana Nasarullah 48, Mansoor Ahmed 26 and Amna Imran 10 were best scorers. For MIB, Nadeem and Ali grabbed two wickets, each. In reply, the MIB were unable to achieve their target and scored 119 runs for seven in the allotted overs. Sajjid scored 56 runs including three 6s and four 4s while Captain Akbar Hussain Durrani remained unbeaten on two runs. For PSB, Sajjad took three wickets while Sadaqat bagged one wicket. Agha Amjad and Azam Dar performed the duties of umpires. Secretary Information and Broadcasting Akbar Hussain Durrani awarded trophies and prizes to the winning team.

By BIPIN DANI Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams was not eyeing his individual half century before declaration, according to his father Collin Williams, who was also a cricketer and played five First Class matches. On Friday, the captain did not declare the second innings at the over night score of 241 for 7 (Williams was unbeaten on 47) but declared immediately after playing the only delivery, in which he hit a six and surpassed 50. "Definitely, the half century was not in his mind", speaking exclusveily over telephone from Harare, he said. "It was all about using the heavy roller. Before the start of play he asked for heavy roller. If had declared overnight he could not have had the pitch roller with his choice of roller", he added. Incidentally, the father also sent the audio clippings of his overnight conversation with Sean Williams. "I will pick the option of using heavy roller in the morning and then declare the innings. I intend to give them a target of about 355 runs, i.e. 4 runs per an over", his audio recording said.    "Rain and weather will play important part in the matter but I can't do anything on that. We already had few delays and interruptions in the match (on the fourth day) but I am very keen and positive on winning the match", he had said this to his dad on the eve of the match. Sean Williams, however, had to be content with the draw. Kusal Mendis' ton saved Sri Lanka from losing the Test.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (February 1, 2020):-Hockey history was made in Saturday’s games in Auckland, which became the first top tier international hockey matches to have mixed gender umpires on the field of play. Australia’s Steve Rogers and Wanri Venter of South Africa took charge of the women’s clash between New Zealand and Belgium, while the men’s fixture was umpired by the Australian pairing of Adam Kearns and Aleisha Neumann. In Auckland, New Zealand’s women fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of visiting Belgium thanks largely to a sensational goalkeeping performance from Aisling D’Hooghe, who was named player of the match. Ambre Ballenghien’s speculative backhand strike from an acute angle put the Red Panthers ahead inside the opening three minutes before Gemma McCaw, playing her first international match since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, levelled early in the second quarter. D’Hooghe made a string of wonderful saves to keep deny the Black Sticks from moving ahead before Anne-Sophie Weyns gave Belgium victory with a penalty corner slap-shot nine minutes from time. It was a second successive victory for Belgium on Kiwi soil, having also beaten the Black Sticks away from home in the 2019 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League.  On her team’s impressive defensive performance, particularly from penalty corners, shot-stopper D’Hooghe said: “I think it is a big focus point for us. We did a good penalty corner defence last year, and we have to do the same this year. We will keep working on it.” The Red Lions ensured it was a day of double Belgian celebration in Auckland, with the world number one ranked team storming to a 6-2 victory against the Black Sticks. The reigning World and European champions exploded out of the blocks, establishing a 3-0 lead inside the first ten minutes thanks to two superb Felix Denayer field goals and a penalty corner from Tom Boon. George Muir pulled a goal back early in the second quarter, but Sebastien Dockier and Nicolas de Kerpel took the score to 5-2 before Muir struck again to re-ignite New Zealand’s interest in the contest. However, a stunning high deflection from Player of the Match Boon eight minutes from time completed a resounding and deserved victory for Belgium. “I think we are in a good way, we keep the ball for long moments and we see that when we do that teams struggle [against us], said Boon post-match. “All in all, we had a pretty good game.” In Sydney, Australia men found themselves on the brink of defeat before eventually claiming two points from a possible three by winning a shoot-out against Great Britain after regular time finished with the scores locked at 4-4. The match - played in searing temperatures that triggered FIH’s inclement weather procedure to give players additional rest during the game – was a thriller, with Great Britain turing a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead thanks to strikes from Zach Wallace, Rupert Shipperley and Liam Ansell before late goals from Aran Zalewski and Trent Mitton sent the game into a shoot-out. Alan Forsyth was the only scorer for GB, with Jake Whetton, Flynn Ogilvie and Jake Harvie on target as the Kookaburras nicked the bonus point.    “It was pretty close in the end”, said Australia’s Lachlan Sharp, who was named Player of the Match. “We train for this every day. It’s pretty hot here at the moment, but luckily we were fit enough to come through in the end.” Grace Stewart scored a dramatic late winner as Australia’s Hockeyroos defeated reigning Olympic champions Great Britain 2-1 in Sydney. GB - who like their men, were playing their first match in the 2020 FIH Hockey Pro League – took a 1-0 lead early in the second quarter thanks to Sarah Robertson’s field goal, with Australia needing just eight minutes to restore parity when Stephanie Kershaw found the back of the net. The hosts withstood intense pressure from the visitors in the third and fourth quarter, with Australia goalkeeper and Player of the Match Jocelyn Bartram producing numerous excellent blocks to keep the scores level. Australia emerged with all three points when Stewart clinically dispatched a backhand strike with just 12 seconds of the contest remaining. Speaking after the match, Jocelyn Bartram said: “The girls played the full 60 minutes to be able to get the win at the end. I’m really proud of our defensive efforts today, particularly on PCs [penalty corners]. We couldn’t have done it without the girls running it down, so we are really excited to get the win today.” It was another goal-fest in Valencia as Spain and the Netherlands played out a highly competitive 2-4 encounter, with the Dutch proving themselves more adept at turning pressure into goals. The Spanish players couldn't have given any more as they moved the ball rapidly during some beautiful build-up play but they could find no way through a staunch Dutch defence. Goals from player of the match Jip Janssen, Thierry Brinkman, Mink van der Weerden and Bjorn Kellerman were enough to quell the Spanish attacking instincts. Spain struck back through Marc Miralles and, in the final minute of the game, Ricardo Sanchez. The day was bitter-sweet for Spain's Quico Cortes. The goalkeeper was playing his 300th game for his country and pulled off a strng of fabulous saves during the match. Speaking after the game, Jip Janssen said: "It [the match]was very much like yesterday. Both teams played with a very high intensity. Our defending was very good and we were very fast with our counter-attacks." Miguel Delas, the defeated captain, said: "Today we have to be realistic. We didn't play at our level and we made some mistakes. Holland were very efficient. To win at this level, we have to be at the top of our game." The result means the Netherlands move to second in the league table, one point behind European neighbors, Belgium. Spain spotted at seventh position, ahead of Argentina who are yet to play, and New Zealand. The FIH Hockey Pro League continues on Sunday (2 February), with the second matches of the New Zealand versus Belgium and Australia versus Great Britain double-headers taking place in Auckland and Sydney respectively. Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  FIH Hockey Pro League Match Day 9 – Saturday 01 February 2020 North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland (NZL) Women’s result: New Zealand 1, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Aisling D’Hooghe (GK - BEL) Umpires: Steve Rogers (AUS), Wanri Venter (RSA) & Aleisha Neumann (AUS - video) Men’s result: New Zealand 2, Belgium 6 (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Tom Boon (BEL) Umpires: Adam Kearns (AUS), Aleisha Neumann (AUS) & Steve Rogers (AUS - video) Sydney Olympic Park (AUS) Men’s result: Australia 4, Great Britain 4 – 3-1 After Shoot-Out (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Lachlan Sharp (AUS) Umpires: David Tomlinson (NZL), Javed Shaikh (IND) & Emi Yamada (JPN - video) Women’s result: Australia 2, Great Britain 1 (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Jocelyn Bartram (GK - AUS) Umpires: Kelly Hudson (NZL), Emi Yamada (JPN) & Javed Shaikh (IND - video) Estadio Betero, Valencia (ESP) Men’s result: Spain 2, Netherlands 4 (Match 2 of 2) Player of the Match: Jip Janssen (NED) Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Christian Blasch (GER) & Sean Rapaport (RSA - video)

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 1, 2020):-Top seed Aqeel Khan and 2nd seed Muzammil Murtaza reached into the Men’s Singles final of the 33rd Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships 2020 at Dilawar Abbas PTF Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue, Islamabad on Saturday. In the first semi-final, 2nd seed Muzammil Murtaza proved too good for 8th seed Mohammad Abid and eliminated him in straight sets with the score of 6-4,6-1. He was in good form and hit a number of winners to outplay his opponent. The best encounter of the day was second semifinal which was played between unseeded 17-year old Huzaifa Abdul Rehman from Islamabad and top seed Aqeel Khan on the center court. In the first set, Aqeel built up a 5-3 lead by breaking the 3rd game of Huzaifa. Huzaifa leveled the score 5-5 by breaking the 10th game of Aqeel after seven deuces and then went on to win the first set 7-5 by breaking 12th game of Aqeel. In the 2nd set, the score went up to 3-3 all, as both the players held their serves. Aqeel won the 2nd set by breaking 7th & 9th game of Huzaifa, who hit 8 double faults in the 2nd set. In the final set, Aqeel took a 2-0 lead by breaking 2nd game of Huzaifa, but Huzaifa fought back bravely and leveled the score 2-2 by breaking 3rd game of Aqeel on love. Aqeel served for the match at 5-3, but Huzaifa not only saved a match-point but also broke Aqeel to go 4-5. In a long game, Aqeel finally broke Huzaifa to take the set and match 6-4 and will face Muzammil Murtaza in the final on Sunday at 1-30. In the Senior 45 category event, Irfanulaah and Israr Gul won the title by beating Hameed ul Haq and Mehmood Khan 6-3,6-3. Sunday (2nd February) final of Men’s Singles will be played at 1:30; Tariq Mehmood Murtaza Chairman Rawalpindi Development Authority and President Islamabad Tennis Association will grace the occasion as chief guest to distribute the prizes among the winners and runner-ups. Capital Smart City is the official sponsor of the 33rd Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships 2020 Results are as under: Mens Singles Semifinals: Aqeel Khan beat Huzaifa Abdul Rehman 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 Muzammil Murtaza beat Mohammad Abid 6-4,6-1 Mens Doubles Final: Shahzad Khan & Mohammad Abid beat Barkatullah & Ahmed Choudhary 6-1, 6-3 Senior 45 Final: Irfanullah/Israr Gul beat Hameed ul Haq/Mehmood Khan 6-4,6-3  

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (February 1, 2020):-The national men’s selection committee has named a 16-player squad for the first ICC World Test Championship fixture against Bangladesh to be played in Rawalpindi from 7-11 February. The selectors have recalled off-spinner Bilal Asif at the back of his 43 wickets in nine Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches, while Faheem Ashraf has been drafted in the side due to his all-round skills that were backed by his six wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final against Northern.  Two changes have been made in the side that was named for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against Sri Lanka.  Kashif Bhatti and Usman Shinwari have been left out, but they remain in the red-ball plans and have been advised to continue their training and preparation.  While Kashif didn’t play against Sri Lanka, Usman made his only appearance in the Rawalpindi Test where he took one for 54.  Squad 1.       Azhar Ali (captain) (Central Punjab) 2.       Abid Ali (Sindh) 3.       Asad Shafiq (Sindh) 4.       Babar Azam (Central Punjab) 5.       Bilal Asif (Central Punjab) 6.       Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab) 7.       Fawad Alam (Sindh) 8.      Haris Sohail (Balochistan) 9.       Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan) 10.   Imran Khan Snr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 11.    Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab) 12.    Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 13.    Naseem Shah (Central Punjab) 14.    Shaheen Shah Afridi ( Northern) 15.    Shan Masood (Southern Punjab) 16.    Yasir Shah (Balochistan)  Chair of the men’s national selection committee and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said: “We have followed the horses for courses policy for the Test against Bangladesh. I know the two players who have been left out will be disappointed, but they remain firmly within our plans for the red-ball cricket we are scheduled to play later this year.  “Kashif Bhatti has paved the way for Bilal Asif considering there are left-handed batters in the Bangladesh top and middle-order, while Faheem Ashraf has been preferred over Usman Shinwari due to his all-round abilities.  “Following our convincing victory in Karachi, I don’t envisage any major changes in the playing line-up but we have tried to cover all our bases just in case the wicket has any surprises for us.  “We ended 2019 on a high with a victory over Sri Lanka and have made a good start to 2020 by winning the T20I series against Bangladesh. I understand the Test will be a different ball game but I am optimistic we will maintain our good form and translate that into another strong performance that will contribute significantly in the overall confidence building of the Test side.  “We are aiming to collect maximum points from the two upcoming ICC World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh so that when we take the field for the Lord’s Test against England on 30 July, we are in a strong contention for a top-two finish by the end of the 2020-21 season. This is what our aspiration is and that’s what are aiming and striving for.”  The Pakistan team will depart for Rawalpindi on 3 February, where it will fine-tune its final preparations from 4 February.          

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 31, 2020):-A women’s Sports Festival will be taken place from February 25 to March 8, 2020 at the different sports venues Pakistan Sports Complex under the banner of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Islamabad. As many as 13 sports disciplines including Football, Hockey, Softball, Swimming, Baseball, Squash, Netball, Soccer Futsal, Judo, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Taekwondo and Tenpin Bowling will be the part of sports festival According to a spokesman for PSB, Mohammad Azam Dar, in this regard, a high level meeting held at PSB, which was chaired by Director General, Pakistan Sports Board, Amina Imran on Friday at Conference Room of Pakistan Sports Board. Deputy Director General (Technical), Assistant Director (Women Wing)  Shazia Ejaz and the representatives of the participating games attended the meeting. Azam Dar told to media after the meeting that exhibition matches of the various games would also be played during festival including Football, Hockey, Softball, Swimming, Baseball, Squash, Netball, Soccer Futsal, Judo, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Taekwondo and Tenpin Bowling. Swimming competitions will be held at Swimming Pool, Baseball and Softball competitions at Baseball ground, Squash at Mushaf Squash Complex, Soccer futsal at Rodham Hall, Hockey at Naseer Bunda Stadium, Football at Jinnah Stadium, Taekwondo at Amir Khan Boxing Hall and Tenpin Bowling at Leisure City Club, Jinnah Park, Rawalpindi while Netball Judo, Volleyball and Table Tennis will be played at Hameed Hall.

SB Report BENONI(January 31, 2020):-A half-century from Mohammad Huraira on debut secured Pakistan U19 a six-wicket win against Afghanistan U19 in the fourth quarter-final of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Benoni on Friday. Pakistan will face India U19 on Tuesday, 4 February, in the first Super League semi-final in Potchefstroom. Huraira, the 17-year-old opener from Sialkot scored with 64 off 76 balls before he was mankaded by Noor Ahmad in the 28th over of Pakistan’s run-chase. Pakistan’s chase began with a flourish as Hurraira, who hit eight fours and a six, made full use of a dropped catch early in his innings. His opening partner Haider Ali hit five spanking fours in his 34-ball 28 before he was run out. The pair added 61 runs in 11.3 overs. Captain Rohail Nazir added 56 for the second-wicket with Hurraira before the former was dismissed by Noor for a 35-ball 22. The possibility of Pakistan breaking the losing streak against Afghanistan at this level – Pakistan had lost their last four completed matches against Afghanistan stretching from November 2017 – came under threat when the batting side lost three wickets for 10 runs with their score slipping from 117 for one to 127 for four. But, an unbeaten 63-run stand between Qasim Akram (25 off 41) and Mohammad Haris (29 off 43) helped Pakistan chase the target with 53 balls spare. Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan were dismissed for 189 run in 49.1 overs. Captain and opener Farhan Zakhil scored for the Afghans with a 55-ball 40, hitting seven fours in his innings. Abdul Rahman provided a late flourish to the innings with a 41-ball 30 (two fours and one six). Middle-order batsmen Rahmanullah (29) and Abid Mohammadi (28) made useful contributions. For Pakistan, pacer Amir Khan took three wickets for 58 runs in his 10 overs. Leg-spinner Fahad Munir provided two useful breakthroughs in his seven over spell in which he conceded 29 runs. Qasim Akram, Abbas Afridi, Tahir Hussain and Aamir Ali took a wicket each. For his match-winning knock, Huraira was named man-of-the-match. Scores in brief: Afghanistan Under-19:  189 all out, 49.1 overs (Farhan Zakhil 40, Abdul Rahman 30; Amir Khan 3-58, Fahad Munir 2-29) Pakistan Under-19:  190-4, 41.1 overs (Mohammad Huraira 64, Mohammad Haris 29 not out, Haider Ali 28, Qasim Akram 25 not out, Rohail Nazir 22; Noor Ahmad 2-32)