SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (November 18, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday announced the schedule of its men’s national cricket team’s tour to England and Wales in July 2021 that will comprise three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs and as many T20Is. The ODIs will be played in Cardiff, London (Lord’s) and Birmingham on 8, 10 and 13 July, respectively while the T20Is will be held in Nottingham, Leeds and Manchester on 16, 18 and 20 July, respectively. England lead the points table of the qualification league for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with 30 points from two three-ODI series. Pakistan share second spot with Australia on 20 points following a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe, while Zimbabwe and Ireland are on 10 points each. The remaining eight sides in the 13-team competition are yet to play their opening fixtures in the Super League from which the seven top-ranked sides and World Cup hosts India will progress directly for the event proper to take place in October/November 2023. The ODI series against England will be one of Pakistan’s three away fixtures in 2021 with the other two being against South Africa (April 2021) and Afghanistan (September 2021). In addition to these away series, Pakistan will play two home Super League fixtures against New Zealand and the West Indies in October and December 2021, respectively. This will be Pakistan’s sixth consecutive tour to England. In 2016, Pakistan drew the four-Test series 2-2, won the ICC Championship Trophy in 2017, drew the two-Test series 1-1 in 2018, missed out on a place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-finals by a fraction of a point and lost the three-Test series 1-0 in 2020. Pakistan captain Babar Azam: “England and Wales is our second home as we have been visiting it regularly since 2016. Apart from building relationships and understanding the culture, these tours have helped us to enhance and improve our cricket skills and knowledge, as we now have a good understanding of the conditions and wickets in that part of the world. “England are the world champions and the number-one ranked side in ODIs, while they sit second in the T20I table. Besides trying to collecting valuable Super League points, our overarching objective is also to improve our white-ball rankings. The series against South Africa, England and New Zealand provides us with opportunities to improve our rankings as lower-ranked sides are awarded more points if they win a series against the side that is ranked above them on the rankings table. “England boasts some outstanding and world-class cricketers, which is reflected in their team results in the past couple of years. But if we have to qualify directly for the World Cup and also improve our ranking, we have to play and beat stronger oppositions, and I know we are capable of doing this.” Pakistan is presently sixth in ODIs behind England, India, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, while Babar Azam’s side is ranked fourth behind Australia, England and India in T20Is. Pakistan sits seventh in Tests. Provisional schedule: 8 July - 1st ODI, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 10 July – 2nd ODI, Lord’s, London 13 July – 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham 16 July – 1st T20I, Trent Bridge, Nottingham 18 July – 2nd T20I, Headingley, Leeds 20 July – 3rd T20I, Old Trafford, Manchester

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (November 18, 2020):-A four-member independent jury today announced the Team of HBL Pakistan Super League 2020, which will be captained by Islamabad United’s Shadab Khan. The independent jury included respected commentators Bazid Khan, Ramiz Raja and Urooj Mumtaz, and Nadeem Khan, who is a member of the HBL PSL 2020 Technical Committee and PCB Director – High Performance. The 12-member side, as per the event regulations, includes four foreign players and one emerging category player, and represents five teams with Lahore Qalandars boasting six players, three Karachi Kings, and one each from Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. The squad in batting order is: Babar Azam (Karachi Kings) Chris Lynn (Lahore Qalandars) Alex Hales (Karachi Kings) Haider Ali (Peshawar Zalmi) Mohammad Hafeez (Lahore Qalandars) Shadab Khan (captain, Islamabad United) Ben Dunk (wicketkeeper, Lahore Qalandars) David Wiese (Lahore Qalandars) Mohammad Amir (Karachi Kings) Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars) Mohammad Hasnain (Quetta Gladiators) Fakhar Zaman (12th, Lahore Qalandars) From the above, Babar Azam is the only player who was also a member of the Team of HBL PSL 2019 after he had aggregated 335 runs at an average of 30.45 with a strike-rate 115.51. While selecting the side, the independent jury considered a number of cricketing aspects, including consistency, impact on the side and results, fitness and best possible team combination so this team can take on any HBL PSL 2020 side on any given day at any of the four tournament venues. Ramiz Raja, who played 255 internationals for Pakistan and scored 8,674 runs: “Selecting top 12 performers from a rich list of outstanding guys was a challenge for the entire panel. We have picked a performance-based and balanced side that can compete against any HBL PSL 2020 franchise cricket side in any conditions. “Overall, the credit for the overwhelming success of HBL PSL 2020 in Pakistan goes to all participants who galvanised and entertained the nation with some attractive, aggressive and competitive cricket. Through the HBL PSL as well as the National T20 Cup and the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the selectors as well as cricket fans and followers have been able to spot and identify a number of excellent cricketers, who I am sure we’ll see in international cricket at some stage.” Shadab Khan: “I feel honoured to have been appointed captain of Team of the HBL PSL 2020, which includes some fine performers from one of the most successful events. However, it hurts that we were unable to make it to the playoffs. We gave our best shot, which was clearly not enough, and means we have to come harder and stronger when the sixth edition is played next year.”

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 17, 2020):-National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern, Pakistan WAPDA and Pakistan Navy reached into the semifinals of the ongoing 66th National Hockey Championship 2020, as the semifinal would be played on Thursday at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi. NBP will take on Sui Southern in the first semifinal of the top national hockey fixture while Pakistan WAPDA will meet Pakistan Navy in the second semifinal, as the final will be played on Friday as same venue between the winners of both semifinals. On Tuesday, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Punjab, WAPDA and Sui Southern have won their league matches after beating their respective opponents. Results (Day-9):- Game 1: Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum 1-0 Ali Sher (1)                                                                                                                                                       Game 2: Pakistan Air Force beat Pakistan Police 4-1 PAF: Mohammad Rizwan (2), Umer Mustafa (1), Abdul Rehman (1) Police: Abdul Ahad (1) Game 3: Punjab beat Port Qasim 3-0 Punjab: Mohammad Zain (1) Mohammad Ammar (1), Hanan Khan (1) Game 4: Pakistan WAPDA beat National Bank of Pakistan 2-1 WAPDA: Tausiq Khan (1), Mohammad Sohail (1) NBP: Mohammad Abu Bakar Game 5: Sui Southern beat Pakistan Army 1-0 Sui Southern: Zeeshan Ali (1)  

SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (November 14, 2020):-The PSF-Punjab Satellite Squash Tournament 2020 started on Saturday, as top local guys have won their matches and moved into next round at Punjab Squash Complex. Farhan Hashmi had to work hard in the court to overcome Mohammad Farhan 3-1. Results (Round-1): Ammad Fareed (PAK) beat Faizan Khan (PAK) score 13/11, 11/6, 11/2 (25 mins). Noor Zaman (PAK) beat Mohammmad Abdul Qadir (PAK) score 11/9, 11/7, 11/3 (21 mins). Nasir Iqbal (PAK) beat Muhammad Uzair (PAK) score 11/2, 11/2, 11/2 (12 mins). Zahir Shah (PAK) beat Salman Saleem (PAK) score 11/6, 11/5, 6/11, 14/12 (28 mins). Mohammad Hassaan Raza (PAK) beat Naveed Rahmen (PAK) score 10/12, 11/7, 11/3, 11/4 (30 mins). Saeed Abdul (PAK) beat Mian Abdul Mughni (PAK) score 11/5, 11/2, 11/2 (13 mins). Mohammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) beat Mohammad Farhan (PAK) score 12/10, 5/11, 11/5, 15/13 (36 mins). Israr Ahmad (PAK) beat Zeeshan Zeb (PAK) score 11/4, 11/3, 11/4 (18 mins). Sunday’s Fixtures: Ammad Fareed (PAK) vs Noor Zaman (PAK) 1:00 pm Nasir Iqbal (PAK) vs Zahir Shah (PAK) 1:45am Mohammad Hassaan Raza (PAK) vs Saeed Abdul (PAK) 2:30 pm M0hammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) Israr Ahmad (PAK) 3:15 pm

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 14, 2020):-Pakistan Navy thrashed Pakistan Police 7-1 in the second match of the day seven of the 66th National Hockey Championship 2020 at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi on Saturday. Ali Sher, Mohammad Imad and Mohammad Sowair scored each two goals for the Pakistan Navy while Mohammad Haris scored single goal. Results (Day-7): Game-1: Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) beat Port Qasim Authority (PQA) 4-2 MPCL: Mohammad Umair (1), Mohammad Wasim (1), Owais Ahmed (1), Mohammad Arbaz (1) PQA: Mohammad Abu Zar (1), Mohammad Taha (1)    Game-2: Pakistan Navy beat Pakistan Police 7-1 Navy: Ali Sher (2), Mohammad Imad (2), Mohammad Sowair (2), Mohammad Haris (1) Police: Mohsin Khan (1) Game-3: Pakistan WAPDA beat Pakistan Air Force (POA) 1-0 WAPDA: Salam Razzak Game-4: Punjab beat Pakistan Army 3-2 Punjab: Owais-ur-Rehman (2), Hanan Ahmed (1) Army: Ali Haider (1), Mohammad Afzal (1) Game-5: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) vs SSGPL (0-0)

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 12, 2020):-Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) overpowered 7-1 in the 66th National Hockey Championship 2020 at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi on Thursday. Results (Day-6): Game-1: Ports Qasim beat Pakistan Police 4-1 Ports Qasim: Sami Khan (1), Abu Zar (1), Hammad (1), Taha Khan (1) Police: Mohsin Shah Game-2: SSGCL beat Pakistan Air Force 7-1 Mubasher Ali (5), Ahmed Nadeem (1), Ali Sher (1) PAF: Rizwan Ali (1) Game-3: Pakistan WAPDA beat Mari Petroleum 3-1 WAPDA: Mohammad Ejaz (1), Aleem Bilal (1), Aleem Usman (1) Mari Petroleum; Tanzeem-ul-Hasan (1) Game-4: NBP beat Pakistan Army 4-2 NBP: Arsalan Qadair (2), Bilal Qadir (1), Aamir Ali (1) Army: Wasim Khan (1), Farhan Ahmed (1) Game-5: Pakistan Navy beat Punjab 3-1 Navy: Nauman (1), Mohammad Akbar (1), Hammad Khan (1) Punjab: Zain (1)

SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (November 12, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed the appointment of former captain Younis Khan as batting coach of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team until, at least, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which is scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November with the final on 13 November. Younis had earlier accompanied Pakistan to England this summer and will now continue with his responsibilities for the upcoming series in New Zealand for which the side departs on 23 November. When not traveling with the national side, Younis will be based at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance in Karachi as a batting coach. A work programme will be developed with the National High Performance team. Younis, scored 10,099 runs at over 52 in 118 Tests; 7,249 runs in 265 ODIs and 442 runs in 25 T20Is. He has scored most Test centuries for Pakistan, 34, while his career-best 313 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009 lifted him to No.1 position in the ICC rankings. Younis also captained Pakistan to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 victory in England. PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan: “I am delighted that Younis will now be with for, at least, the next two years as our batting coach. The feedback we received about Younis’ impact in a short period of time in England was excellent. His work ethics, commitment and knowledge are second to none, and I am confident that his appointment will benefit a number of talented batsmen who have either recently broken into the national side or are knocking on the door of international cricket. “The PCB will also be utilising Younis Khan’s expertise and skills when he’s not on national duty as he will help local batsmen hone their skills. This is part of the PCB’s strategy to appoint highly-qualified and respected coaches across all major centres of the country so that we can start producing cricketers who can represent Pakistan with distinction. “This High Performance Centre element follows the recruitment of Mohammed Yousuf, who is based at the National High Performance Centre, meaning that the PCB has two of the very best contemporary ex-batters adding significant value and fulfilling important roles with developing and guiding the current and the future generation of Pakistan batsmen.” Younis Khan: “I am pleased to join the Pakistan cricket set-up on a long-term basis. I felt honoured when I was given the opportunity this summer and thoroughly enjoyed my time, and I now look forward to continuing the work with the same group of people on an important tour of New Zealand. “I am particularly happy that my scope of work has been extended beyond the national duties. I am equally interested and keen at working at the domestic level by identifying potential batsmen and then helping them improve their skills. “However, I want to remind all fans and followers that there is a process to achieve excellence and while some improvements can be noticed quickly, this will require lots of hard work, perseverance and patience before the required skills are embedded and start producing consistent results.” Meanwhile, the PCB has also appointed former Test spinner Arshad Khan as Pakistan women’s national cricket team’s bowling coach for one year. Arshad played nine Tests and 58 ODIs, taking 32 and 56 wickets, respectively. Arshad’s appointment has come within a month after former Bermuda and Glamorgan captain David Hemp was appointed head coach of the national side. Arshad will take up his role following the remaining four HBL Pakistan Super League 2020, where he is involved with Peshawar Zalmi and along with David, will be involved in the Women’s National T20 Championship. Arshad Khan: “This is an excellent opportunity to be working with women cricketers alongside David Hemp as we aim to collectively lift our national team in the upper half of the women’s draw. “When I look around at a big number of former international cricketers involved in the present set-up, it motivates me to not only prove my worth but also justify the faith imposed on me. “I now keenly look forward to looking at the available pool of women cricketers in the Women’s National T20 Championship and will then work on a strategy with David on how we move forward. This will be a demanding assignment and I am up for the challenge.” Players Support Personnel for Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand: Pakistan men’s national team – Mansoor Rana (Manager), Misbah-Ul-Haq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant coach), Waqar Younis (bowling coach), Younis Khan (batting coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Ibrahim Badees (team and social media manager), Malang Ali (team masseur), Dr Sohail Saleem (team doctor), Talha Ejaz Butt (analyst), Col (retd) Usman Anwari (security manager) and Yasir Malik (strength & training coach), Shaheens - Ijaz Ahmed (manager and head coach), Mohtashim Rashid (assistant manager & fielding coach), Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Hafiz Naeem (physiotherapist), Saboor Ahmed (trainer), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Mohammad Imran Ali (masseur)

By BIPIN DANI Barring Mahela Jaywardene, IPL's all Sri Lankan players and support staff (men and women) who participated in the recently concluded IPL (Indian Premier League) in the UAE missed watching the final.    "We could not watch the men's final", former women's team captain Shashikala Jayawardene, confirmed over the telephone from her hotel room in Colombo on Thursday morning.  "Myself, Chamari Atapattu, Isuru Udana, Muthiah Muralitharan and Mario Villavarayan came in the same Emirates flight on Wednesday early morning",  Both women players played the Women's T-20 Challenge, Isuru played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Murali and Mario were part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad teams as bowling consultant and the physical trainer respectively.     "We were in the night flight at the time when the final was underway (on November 10) . There was no flight on 11th and therefore had to leave without watching the final", she added.     All of them, (and may be Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai Indians coach, who may have arrived on Wednesday) are on a 14-day quarantine.  Sharing her experience of playing in the tournament, Shashikala says, "Our team (Supernovas) had a spark in them because Harman is a very positive, brave and strong character which affects us in a positive way. I really enjoyed being with a great bunch of cricketers".  "Coach Mamatha Maben was very supportive as well as the manager Trupti Madam and the support staff. So, I would like to thank BCCI for having such a wonderful event under these circumstances. Overall, we are happy that we played some good cricket after being away from cricket for 7 to 8 months due to this corona pandemic", she signed off. 

SPORTS REPORT KARACHI (November 12, 2020):-Aleem Dar, who holds the record for officiating the most number of Tests and ODIs, and Michael Gough will take the field as on-field umpires at a floodlit National Stadium for the final of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020. Members of ICC International Panel of Umpires Ahsan Raza, who became the first match official to reach the milestone of 50 T20Is as an on-field umpire, and Rashid Riaz will take the responsibilities of the third umpire and the fourth umpire, respectively. Match referee Mohammad Anees, member of PCB’s Elite Panel for Match Referees, will lead the playing control team for the much-anticipated contest. Aleem, who holds the distinction of officiating the most number of HBL PSL matches (42), will be in action as on-field umpire in the Eliminator 1 and Eliminator 2 on 14 and 15 November. For Eliminator 1 between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, he will be joined by Shozab Raza, with Ahsan as the third umpire and Faisal Khan Afridi as the fourth umpire in a team that will be led by match referee Prof. Javed Malik. Before the final, Aleem and Michael Gough, the members of ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will perform the on-field duties together in Eliminator 2, which will be contested between the losing team from the Qualifier and winning team of the Eliminator 1. Match referee Mohammad Anees will lead the playing control team in a match which will have Shozab Raza as third and Asif Yaqoob as fourth umpire. For the Qualifier on 14 November between the top two teams at the table – Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings - Michael Gough, who has officiated as an on-field umpire in 95 internationals, and Rashid Riaz will be the on-field umpires with Asif Yaqoob and Nasir Hussain as the third and fourth umpires. Match referee Mohammad Anees will lead them. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board also announced the technical committee for the playoffs. The six-member committee will be led by PCB chief executive Wasim Khan and have Bazid Khan, Dr Riaz Ahmed, Marina Iqbal, Nadeem Khan and Sameer Khosa as members. HBL PSL 2020 playoffs schedule (all matches at National Stadium, Karachi): 14 Nov – Qualifier (Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings) – Michael Gough and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Nasir Hussain (fourth umpire); Mohammad Anees (match referee). Eliminator 1 (Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi) – Aleem Dar and Shozab Raza (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Prof Javed Malik (match referee) 15 Nov – Eliminator 2 (Losing team Qualifier v Winning team Eliminator 1) – Aleem Dar and Michael Gough (on-field umpires), Shozab Raza (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Mohammad Anees (match referee) 17 Nov – Final (Winner Qualifier v Winner Eliminator 2) – Aleem Dar and Michael Gough (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Mohammad Anees (match referee)

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 11, 2020):-Pakistan WAPDA defeated Pakistan Army 4-3 in the 66th National Hockey Championship 2020 at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi on Wednesday. Aleem Bilal scored two goals for the winners. Results (Day-5): Game-1: Pakistan WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 4-3 WAPDA: Aleem Bilal (2), Aleem Usman (1), Tasawar Abbas (1) Pakistan Army: Waseem Akram (1), Mohammad Farhan (1), Ali Haider (1) Game-2: National Bank of Pakistan beat Port Qasim 8-1 NBP: Arsalan Qadir (2), Bilal Qadir (2), Mohammad Dilbar (1), Shan irshad (1), Mohammad Faizan (1), Mohammad Abu Bakar (1) Port Qasim: Mohammad Sami (1) Game-3: SSGCL beat Pakistan Navy 4-0 Mubasir Ali (2), Ahmed Nadeem (1), Ghazanfar Ali (1) Game-4: Mari Petroleum Company Limited beat Pakistan Police 6-1 MPCL: Arbaz Ahmed (3), Abdul Rehman (2), Umair Sattar (1) Police: Umair (1) Game-5: Pakistan Air Force beat Punjab 3-0 PAF: Abdul Rehman (2), Numan Khan (1)