Quaid-e-Azam Trophy ninth round begins on Monday  SB News ISLAMABAD (November 23, 2019): As the battle to secure the top two spots on the points table continues to flare up, the ninth round of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which commences on Monday, 25 November, promises to keep the fans on the edge of their seats. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s big win by an innings and 122 runs over Balochistan has helped them leapfrog Southern Punjab and Northern to the second spot and another win in either of their next two matches will go a long way in guaranteeing them a berth in the final of the country’s premier first-class tournament. They, however, have a challenging task at their hands as they face table-toppers Central Punjab, who have three wins in eight matches, at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi. Central Punjab enter the match after securing a draw against Sindh on the back of second innings centuries by the Akmal brothers. They were behind Sindh for the most part of the match as their star-studded batting line-up failed to live up to the expectations in the first innings. But, gutsy 122 and 166 by Umar and Kamran in the second innings ensured Central Punjab’s impeccable record stayed intact. Uplifted by their maiden win of the tournament, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will try to take a leaf out of Sindh’s book and look to strangle Central Punjab’s batting upfront. That it was their bowling unit which delivered the win is something which will further add to the excitement when the two top-ranked teams go toe-to-toe. Central Punjab captain Ahmed Shehzad said: “We are going to make sure that we don’t repeat the mistakes we made in the last game. Yes, there were hiccups, but we are learning every game and improving day-by-day. “Our players are responding brilliantly under pressure. The beauty of first-class cricket is it provides you sessions to bounce back in the match. Sindh were ahead of us for two-and-a-half days after which we came back strongly with both bat and ball. “We are at the backend of the first-class season now and we have been playing for two-three months so it is not about doing nets anymore. We want our players to be mentally relaxed and strong when we play Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who have recently started to pick up form.” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa head coach Kabir Khan said: “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has had a decent run in the season. Our batsmen and bowlers were delivering and we often found ourselves in control of the matches, but we weren’t able to translate that into win. “However, we were the only side that drew all their games and we knew that a win in the latter stage of the tournament will provide us a boost. Central Punjab have been going well but that we have secured a comprehensive victory before our match against them has given us confidence as a unit. “This year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been very competitive and the two top teams on the points table playing at this stage of the tournament is going to add to the excitement for our next fixture.” Southern Punjab v Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi Sindh, placed fifth on the points table, need a win to stay alive in the tournament. But, that they are facing a side to whom they have lost previously is bound to add to the pressure in a match which will be live-streamed on the PCB’s YouTube channel. Sindh made an impressive comeback, putting up performances in both batting and bowling departments, in the last round after their loss to Northern, who then were languishing at the bottom of the points table. Four of their batsmen scored half-centuries, including captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, with the bowling unit, spearheaded by Tabish Khan, tightening the screws around the Central Punjab batsmen. They will look to build on their performance in the last match against third-ranked Southern Punjab, who succeeded in securing a draw against Northern after being forced to follow-on thanks to Umar Siddiq’s brilliant second innings century, which was supported by half-centuries from Zeeshan Ashraf and Sohaib Maqsood. So, along with working out the strategy to ensure the highest run-getter of the tournament, Sami Aslam, is not allowed the time to adjust, Sarfaraz will also have to draw plans for Umar, Zeeshan and Sohaib. Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said: “We realise that they have a strong batting line-up and Sami Aslam is in good form. We aim to get their wickets early on which will help us in keeping the flow of runs in check. “It is obviously important for us to win from here to stay alive in the tournament. We have had close games but haven’t been able to cross the line. We are getting closer, but our target remains to win the next two matches.” Southern Punjab captain Bilawal Bhatti said: “We have an upper hand over Sindh as we have beaten them by a big margin [an innings and 129 runs] when the last time we came face to face. “Our batsmen are in prime form which is a good omen. Sami Aslam is having a wonderful season. Unfortunately he couldn’t get going in the last match. But, it is heartening to see other batsmen around him like Zeeshan Ashraf, who has graduated from Second XI, and Umar Siddiq, who couldn’t get a good start to the season, are among the runs now. “If a side’s top three or four batsmen start putting up runs consistently it makes life easy for the bowlers. Our spinners have been doing well, with Left-arm-spinner Mohammad Irfan taking wickets almost every match. Pitches in Karachi are useful for the spinners, but the sea-breeze provides assistance to the pacers as well in the last session of the day. “It is going to be an exciting match and we are looking forward to it.” Balochistan v Northern, UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Northern followed up their maiden win of the season in the seventh round with an imposing performance against Southern Punjab at KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi. Their batting line-up scored 463 runs at an impressive run-rate of 4.22 and their bowlers, by taking 14 wickets, tightened the screws to enforce a follow-on. They play Balochistan, who are at the bottom of the points table after a crushing defeat, and will look to make the most of the pressure on the Imran Farhat-led side. Like Sindh, Balochistan have to win their last two matches to stay in contention. There was, however, a silver lining for Balochistan from the previous match as Mohammad Asghar recorded six for 121 – fifth best bowling figures in an innings this tournament – as he continues to impress at the first-class level. His captain will be pinning hopes on him to deliver come Monday. Balochistan captain Imran Farhat said: “We have had a good run with the bat and it was the first time in the tournament that our batting collapsed. Though our batsmen have delivered, it is our bowling which has not really clicked as a unit, which is pertinent to win first-class matches.“The next two games are important for us and we awill go in those games with the mindset of winning them.” Northern captain Nauman Ali said: “We realise another win here will consolidate our position on the points table. For this very purpose, we have travelled to Karachi two days earlier to get acclimatised to the conditions. “We desperately needed a win when we entered the seventh round and that match against Sindh has gelled us as a unit. Unfortunately, due to bad light in Rawalpindi, we lost overs and it rained on the final day because of which couldn’t win despite enforcing follow-on.“But, the mood in the camp is great and we are looking forward to our next match.” Pre-match press conferences at National Stadium, Karachi On Sunday, a squad member from each of the six teams will hold pre-match press conferences in the press conference area on the third floor of the National Stadium, Karachi, from 11am onwards. Upcoming fixtures (25-28 Nov) Balochistan v Northern, UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Southern Punjab v Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NBP Sports Complex, Karachi

Rohail’s century earns Pakistan ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 trophy Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-Rohail Nazir’s sparkling century helped Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 77 runs in the final of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. According to available information from Mirpur, Bangladesh, after being put into bat, the openers Omair Bin Yousuf (4 off 15 balls) and Haider (26 off 23 balls) fell early leaving Pakistan 41 for two in the eighth over. After the departure of the opening pair, Imran Rafiq and Rohail Nazir got together and contributed a 117-run partnership for the third wicket. Imran’s 62 off 88 balls included four fours and two sixes. Rohail was top scorer with a 111-ball 113, laced with 12 fours and three sixes. Saud Shakeel played a captain’s innings and contributed a quick-fire 42 off 40 balls to help his side reach 301 for six in 50 overs. For Bangladesh, Sumon Khan picked three wickets for 75 runs, while Hasan Mahmud grabbed two wickets. Chasing 302, Bangladesh were never in the hunt and were bundled out for 224 in 43.3 overs. Afif Hossain coming to bat at number five, top-scored with a 53-ball 49, hitting four fours and a six. The home team captain Nazmul Hossain’s innings of 46 off 53 balls, and Mahedi Hasan's 42 off 45 balls went in vain. For Pakistan, Mohammad Hasnain took three wickets for 32 runs in 8.3 overs. Khushdil Shah and Saif Badar chipped in with two wickets apiece for 39 and 27 runs, respectively. Wicket-Keeper batsman Rohail Nazir for his century was named the player of the final. Scores in brief: Pakistan v Bangladesh, Final, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur Pakistan 301-6, 50 overs (Rohail Nazir 113, Imran Rafiq 62, Saud Shakeel42; Sumon Khan 3-75, Hasan Mahmud 2-52) Bangladesh 224 all out, 43.3 overs (Afif Hossain 49, Nazmul Hossain 46, Mahedi Hasan 42; Mohammad Hasnain 3-32, Khushdil Shah 2-39, Saif Badar 2-27) Result: Pakistan won by 77 runs Player of the match: Rohail Nazir (Pakistan)

PTF nominates Gul Rehman only official for Davis Cup Tie By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (November 22, 2019):-President, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Salim Saifullah Khan on Friday nominated Gul Rehman solitary official for upcoming Davis Cup Tennis Tie against traditional foes India. International Tennis Federation (ITF) has shifted this mega event from Pakistan to a neutral venue, as this will be played at Nur-Sultan Kazakhstan   In the backdrop of the decision of the Independent Tribunal of the ITF, UK, upholding the decision of the Davis Cup Committee, of November 2, 2019, on the appeal by the PTF challenging the Davis Cup Committee's decision, the senior players of the national team had decided not to play the tie against India at a neutral venue, due the unfair and high-handed behavior displayed by the Indian team to avoid coming to Islamabad despite the many other international teams and celebrities having visited during earlier weeks.  Respecting and supporting the stand of the senior players, yet obliged to participate in the Davis Cup, as a member of the ITF, the President of the PTF, Salim Saifullah Khan, directed the PTF to nominate three best juniors, and a couple of the best young transition players, with an eye on their potentially being top Pakistani players in the next 2 to 3 years, to select a 3 member team to play the tie, now to be held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on 29 and 30 Nov, with both Pakistan and India being visiting nations, so Pakistan retaining the choice of Home Tie for the next time the 2 countries play one another.  President PTF and the Selection Committee picked up the 2 top juniors of the country and the best transition player to make the team.  Huzaifa Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Khan, and Yousaf Khan Khalil would be the part of national tennis team against India. While secretary PTF Gul Rehman will visit along with the team as manager.  The PTF President, while expressing serious disappointment on the behavior of the AITA, wished the best to the team of youngsters, advising them to make most of the experience without worrying about winning or losing to the top players India will be fielding.

National Youth & Junior’s athletics championships from November 25 SB News LAHORE (November 22, 2019):-Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) on Friday announced that the 4th National Youth and Junior Athletics Championships would be kicked off from November 25, 2019 at Punjab Stadium, Lahore. According to AFP official, Boys and Girls will compete in different disciplines during the two-day national junior athletics gale. More than 300 athletes Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Navy, WAPDA, Railways, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Punjab, Police, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoon Kawa (KPK), Baluchistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan shall be competing for top honors in this two days extravaganza. It is an annual event in which champion athletes display their prowess in the sports arena.

28 U19 cricketers invited for a six-week High Performance Skill and Training Programme at NCA  SB News Lahore (November 22, 2019):-Twenty-eight U19 cricketers have been invited for a six-week High Performance Skill and Training Programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Lahore.  The programme, which commences from Monday, 25 November, is designed to enhance the fitness and cricketing skills of the players ahead of the next year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. The 28 players are selected by the junior selection committee, which is headed by Saleem Jaffer. Players born on or after 1 September 2000 are eligible for participation. The players who are busy in international/domestic matches will join the camp later. Names of players: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Balochistan), Abu Huraira (Balochistan), Akhtar Shah (Balochistan), Amir Ali (Sindh), Amir Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ammad Butt Jr. (Central Punjab), Arish Ali Khan (Sindh), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Javed Khan (Southern Punjab), Haseeb Ullah (Balochistan), Jahanzeb Sultan (Sindh), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Huraira Malik (Central Punjab), Mohammad Irfan Khan (Central Punjab), Mohammad Junaid (Balochistan), Mubashir Khan (Northern), Muhammad Aamir Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Muhammad Basit (Southern Punjab), Muhammad Makki (Sindh), Muhammad Shehzad (Southern Punjab), Muhammad Taha (Sindh), Muhammad Waseem Jr. (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab), Qasim Akram (Central Punjab), Rohail Nazir (Northern), Saim Ayub (Sindh) and Shiraz Khan (Northern)

Hockey goes into the blue for World Children's Day SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland:  Federation of International Hockey (FIH) is throwing its full support behind World Children’s Day by encouraging hockey communities across the world to don blue kit as they take part in hockey activities. Unicef’s World Children’s Day is a global day of action for children’s rights. Among the many celebratory activities taking place around the world, children will be taking over high visibility roles in sport and the media and participating in national summits, where they will discuss the issues of today and the future. With the colour blue symbolising World Children’s Day, famous landmarks around the world will light up in blue to show support for children’s rights. FIH is encouraging hockey groups in schools and colleges and national associations to get behind the movement. They can do this by running tournaments, matches or other hockey-related activities, or simply by putting on some blue kit and supporting World Children’s Day.

National Junior’s Hockey Championship from December 5, 2019 SB News LAHORE:-As a part of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Development Plan to groom our coaches and technical officials, a series of clinics are being organized on regular basis. In this regard, the National Coaches Course will be held at Lahore in conjunction with 36th National Junior Hockey Championship, which will be held from December 5 to 8, 2019 National Hockey Stadium Lahore. The course will be conducted by Khawaja Mohammad Junaid coordinated by Nadeem Khan Lodhi as Local Coordinator. The course because of importance will be more intensive and formal as National Course will be certified under the supervision of PHF.  The following should report to Kawaja  Junaid at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore on 5th December.  Ajmal Khan Lodhi (Sialkot), Rana Zaheer Ahmad Babar (SSGC), Waseem Ahmad (WAPDA), Kamran Ashraf (PIA), Mohammad Khalid (PIA), Mudassar Ali Khan (WAPDA), Zeeshan Ashraf (NBP), Mohammad Imran (MPCL), Syed Sameer Hussain (Karachi), Khawar Javaid (Gojra), Waqas Sharif (WAPDA), Mohammad Usman (PIA), Mohammad Ali (Customs), Muhammad Naeem (Customs), Asim Khan (NBP), Mohammad Sarwar (ABL), Rehan Butt (WAPDA), Muhammad Saqlain (ABL), Qamar Ibrahim (PIA), Zahid Afzal (ABL), Nasir Ahmad (PIA), Asif Ahmad Khan (NBP).

56th BoG meeting in Lahore on Friday  SB News LAHORE:-The 56th meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Board of Governors will be held on Friday, 22 November, at 3pm at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.  Some of the matters that will be discussed are:  i)                    Chairman and CEO’s reports ii)                  Model constitution for Cricket Associations iii)                Creation and Demarcation of the first City Cricket Associations iv)                Approval of constitution for the Pakistan Deaf Cricket Association v)                  Updates on PCB Strategic Plan, Bugti Stadium, Pakistan v Sri Lanka Test series and HBL Pakistan Super League 2020

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal I stunned when few weeks back I came to know that Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has determined not to send the national team in forthcoming World Team Squash Championship 2019 that would be taken place in Washington DC, the capital city of United States of America (USA) next month in December. As many as 23 teams from all over the world will take part in the mega fixture of the squash world. One day, I planned to visit the office of federation, which is located at Mushaf Squash Complex in the premises of Pakistan Sports Complex (PSC).On September 23, 2019, I visited the PSF office around 11am, I knocked at the door of secretary office and honorary secretary Tahir Sultan was in his seat in good mood and his table was decorated with fruit, biscuits, tea etc. Probably, I was a new face for him. After introducing myself, I sat on the couch and start talking about the game of squash. With the permission of well dressed and smart man Tahir Sultan, I asked a question from him. “Why will, 6 times champions and 4 times runner-ups Pakistan team, not be participating in the mega World Team Squash Championship, which will be held in the mid December this year 2019?” After listening my question the face colour of squash official suddenly changed and started blaming me and shout at me, “Why are you not aware about this?”, as this decision was taken a month back in the Annual General Council Meeting (AGM) of the federation that was chaired by its president Mujahid Anwar Khan and decision was made by the house unanimously after a marathon discussion on this topic. I am not solitary responsible for this act, “he said While unfolding the reasons behind this unremarkable decision he further said, “We have no capable players to make an ideal team to send abroad for the said event, who could perform up to mark in the international squash event. In the last edition Pakistani guys were spotted at 19th position in the World Team Squash Championship and we do not want to waste money on this unproductive trip. We want to give full attention to the juniors. All squash experts, officials, mentors and even media say that senior players are not toiling hard and it will be wastage of money if we will send these guys for unfruitful trips, “he maintained. He further said, “We have not sufficient funds and we get finances from government and this money comes from public tax that cannot be thrown in the dustbin. Yes, if government provides us some resources for this trip then we can send of national team with green flag in the 23-nation international squash fixture. We host the international tournament and overseas players win while our senior players are crawling behind them. We provide maximum occasions to our guys to improve their ranking and get the place in top 20 and top 10, “he added.   It is pertinent to mention here that the first world team squash championship was held in 1967, which was won by Australia while Pakistan claimed this title first time in 1977 in the history of squash. Later on, Pakistan won the title four times in a row in 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987. Last time Pakistan had won this prestigious squash event in 1993. As many as 26 years have been passed but Pakistan could not show impressive performance in the World Team Squash Championship fixtures so far. British Open Squash Championship is another high profile international squash fixture and every player of the squash world dreams to win this title. Pakistan has wonderful record and inked remarkable and great history in British Open. Pakistani players won this title 30 times so far. Jahangir Khan 10, Hashim Khan 7, Jansher Khan 6, Azam Khan 4, Roshan Khan, Mohibullah Khan and Qamar Zaman won this tournament one time apiece for their country. Last times, Jansher Khan won the British Open in 1997 by defeating Australian opponent Peter Nicole, unfortunately, next year 1998 same challenger Peter Nicole defeated Jansher Khan in the final. Almost, 22 years have been passed and Pakistan Squash Federation could not produce a solitary player, who could win this prestigious squash showpiece of the world.     It is fair and square to say that the standard of the squash going down day by day and the statics are showing real picture of squash and nobody can deny from this fact. In 1998, Amjad Khan had won high profile squash event in Karachi and that was Pakistan Open, after over two decades we could not produce a single players, who could fill the shoes of great Jehangir Khan and Jansher Khan. If there will be a long term policy to bring squash laurels back in Pakistan and we may resurrect our past and one could win the big titles for Pakistan but we are still crawling sadly. Unfortunately, owing to lack of comprehensive and long term policies we are not able to find way out from this situation. There is need to formulate some long term policies to accelerate the standard of game, which can prove fruitful and our talented players could bring squash glory back in the Pakistan. Our squash standard is going down day by day with full speed. High-ups must look into the affairs of squash federation to put the train on right track. According to Professional Squash Association (PSA) last month ranking, our top national player Tayyab Aslam is at 60th, Asim Khan 74th and Farhan Mehboob at 91st positions. After these facts, there is no need to comment on the performance of national players and squash federation. Standard is going down with full speed like the speed of F-16.

Sana Mir takes break from international cricket  Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (November 20, 2019):-Sana Mir will miss next month’s ICC Women’s Championship ODIs and T20Is against England after deciding to take a break from international cricket.  In a statement, Sana Mir said: “I have decided to take a break from international cricket and, as such, will not be available for selection for next month’s series against England. I will utilise this time to plan and reset my future objectives and targets.  “My best wishes will remain with the Pakistan national women’s team in the series against England and I am sure they’ll produce their best cricket.” The 20-probable training camp for the ODIs and T20I series will commence at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi from 21 November, while the squads will be announced on 27 November.  The team will depart for Kuala Lumpur on November 30.  ICC Women’s Championship (seventh round schedule):  9 Dec – First ODI (ICC Women’s Championship), Kinrara Oval  12 Dec – Second ODI (ICC Women’s Championship), Kinrara Oval  14 Dec – Third ODI (ICC Women’s Championship), Kinrara Oval  17 Dec – First T20I, Kinrara Oval  19 Dec – Second T20I, Kinrara Oval  20 Dec – Third T20I, Kinrara Oval