THE MCC: MCC to tour Pakistan in 2020 SB Report ISLAMABAD:-:It has been confirmed that the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) would be sending a touring squad to Pakistan in 2020. Captained by current MCC President Kumar Sangakkara, the Club will send a team to Lahore in February next year, playing a number of matches in the city.  The concept of a tour to Pakistan has been a long-stated aim of the MCC World Cricket committee, with its Members having expressed an interest in helping Pakistan during the country’s exile from hosting international cricket.  Following an attack on the touring Sri Lanka team’s bus in Lahore in 2009, Pakistan’s home Test matches have been played on neutral territory, until very recently, as a two-Test series between the sides – part of the World Test Championship – began last week. At the MCC World Cricket committee meeting held at Lord’s in August, the WCC re-affirmed their support in seeing touring sides return to Pakistan – with security analysis being a prerequisite – following a presentation and discussion with  Wasim Khan, the Chief Executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).  It was agreed that MCC would consider touring Pakistan in the future and following a full investigation into security measures, and assessment into the viability of the trip, the Club can confirm they have accepted an invitation from the PCB to tour in February. Guy Lavender, MCC Chief Executive & Secretary said: “The people of Pakistan have been starved of seeing their team play at home for a decade and it is wonderful to see that Test cricket has recently returned to the country. “As a Club, one of MCC’s priorities is to maintain its global relevance on the game by supporting countries in their provision for cricket, and we are united with the global game in wanting to see international teams returning to play in Pakistan. “Of course the predominant focus has been assessing the relative safety and security considerations, and we are working closely with the PCB to manage a robust security plan to ensure the tour can take place.”  Kumar Sangakkara, MCC President, said: “It is hugely important to support cricket in countries such as Pakistan, and the PCB has done a tremendous job in rebuilding the international cricketing landscape since the tragic events of 2009. “I am excited to be captaining MCC on the tour to Pakistan. With international cricket having returned for the first time in a decade, it is wonderful the Club is doing its part to strengthen cricket in Pakistan and I look forward to being part of the trip.” Wasim Khan, Chief Executive of the PCB said: “Following months of dialogue, and the opportunity to put Pakistan’s compelling case forward to the prestigious and important MCC World Cricket committee, I am delighted that MCC has confirmed that it will send a touring team to Lahore in February.  “The decision by the world’s oldest and most influential cricket club to send a quality team is further testament that Pakistan is as safe and secure a country as any other cricket-playing nation in the world, and MCC’s tour is a further step forward in normalising team tours to Pakistan. “The PCB looks forward to welcoming the MCC cricket team and we fully expect the squad to have a thoroughly enjoyable time.” All of MCC’s matches on the tour will be played at Aitcheson College in Lahore. Guy Lavender will be the Team Manager of the squad, and MCC Head Coach Ajmal Shahzad will coach the group. About Marylebone Cricket Club MCC is the world’s most active cricket club, the owner of Lord’s Ground and the guardian of the Laws and Spirit of the game. Founded in 1787, it is recognised as the sole authority on the game’s Laws and moved to its current home in St John’s Wood in 1814. There are approximately 18,000 Full and 5,000 Associate Members of MCC. About Lord’s Cricket GroundThe first match ever played at ‘Lord’s Cricket Ground’ was in 1787, when businessman Thomas Lord set up a new ground in what was then known as Dorset Fields. Moving twice since then – in 1811 and 1814 – Lord’s Ground has resided at its current location in St John’s Wood for over 200 years. Lord’s has hosted both the Men’s and Women’s ICC Cricket Cup World Finals in 2017 and 2019 respectively, with England crowned World Champions as they played in front of sell-out crowds on each occasion. This summer Lord’s hosted five ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup matches including the Final, which saw England claim victory over New Zealand in a dramatic super over creating sporting history as ‘the greatest cricket match ever played’. Lord’s also staged a historic first Test match between England and Ireland in July, as well as selling out all five days of the England and Australia Test match in August.

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-National Bank of Pakistan T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy (Grade-2) commenced at Attock Cricket Stadium, Attock on Wednesday. Ali Hanan Qamar Deputy Commissioner Attock, Akhtar Munir, Regional Head National Bank of Pakistan, Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council inaugurated the event. 1st match of the event was played between Attock and Abbottabad. Attock won the toss and decided to bat first. On wet conditions, batting first after winning the toss was a brave move and as fortune favors the brave so do with Attock. Their openers Ahtesham and Muhammad Bilal flatten the Abbottabad bowling and piled up huge total of 286 runs without any loss in allotted 20 overs. Ahtesham made unbeaten 150 runs off 74 balls and Bilal made 87 runs not out off 60 balls. Abbottabad in reply made only 212 for the loss of 4 wickets.  Riasat Khan remained top scorer with 96 runs. Mohammad Sohail was the only bowler to pick wicket. Result: Attock won by 74 runs Man of the Match: Ahtesham ul Haq Game-2 Quetta won the toss and decided to bowl first. Faisalabad posted 213 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in stipulated 20 Overs. Ijaz Ali was their star with 104 runs off (57 balls) and Bilal Hasan made 38 runs. Abdul Rasheed was the only bowler to claim a wicket. Quetta in reply chased the target in 19th  over of the innings for the loss of 4 wickets.  Nemat Ullah Khan made unbeaten 86 runs and Abdul Rasheed made 49 runs not out. Noman, Sanaullah and Danish Ali claimed a wicket a piece. Result: Quetta won by 6 wickets Man of the Match: Nemat Ullah Khan Game-3: Sargodha won the toss and decided to bowl first. Hyderabad made 180 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in allotted 20 overs. Amjad made 66 runs. Sargodha in reply chased down the target rapidly in just 8 overs without any loss. Gul Sheer’s bat sung wildly and smashed unbeaten 108 runs off just 38 balls. Zain was the other batter to remain unbeaten on 43 runs. Result: Sargodha won by 10 wickets Man of the Match: Gul Sheer Game-4: Multan won the toss and decided to bat first. Multan batsmen smashed 301 runs in stipulated 20 overs for the loss of 3 wickets. Muhammad Safdar played brilliantly and made 115 runs off 40 balls, Hafiz Abdul Razzaq scored 52 runs off 24 balls and Akbar made 61 off 31 balls. Sheikopura in reply made 172 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in stipulated 20 Overs. Iman Ullah was their best scorer with 41 runs.  Abdul Razzaq took 2 wickets while Akbar, Shahbaz and Saleem claimed a wicket each Result: Multan won by 129 runs                Man of the Match: Muhammad Safdar

International squash events build the soft image of Pakistan, Tahir Sultan By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-(December 19, 2019):-Secretary, Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Tahir Sultan thanked Professional Squash Association (PSA) for awarding a $20,000 prize money tournament to Pakistan, which would help local players to show their game skills at home. He also thanked on the behalf of SVP, PSF for giving massive coverage to international squash show peace at Mushaf Squash Complex. “I thank to media on the behalf of senior vice President because without media coverage these events have no worth. We conducted the events to give opportunity to players to play here and for people who can come here to enjoy these events, “he said while talking to 23 News at Mushaf Squash Complex. He said that the most important aspect of these events was image building of Pakistan. “These events are being telecast all over the world. Players of the different countries like, America, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Egypt, Portugal, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and all over the world are participating. Eight men players and our 13 women players were from the Pakistan. International fixtures show that players of the other countries want to play in Pakistan and Pakistan is a safe country by the blessings of Allah Almighty, “Tahir Sultan viewed.  “PSF is providing all opportunities to upcoming players for national and international exposure. The squash development program is going good. An Under-19 player Gul Zaman is a brilliant player, he has a great upset and his ranking is going to be improve more and he has also beat the champion of this games. We are happy with his performance and it shows that if the opportunities have been given to our players then they can perform better than this, “He added.  To a question, he said that Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) supported well during the international events for men and women. “Sareena Hotels is always sponsoring us for the events, all players’ stays there. Akbar Durani and Director General PSB, Amna Imran helped us well. Definitely, we are being supported but financial support is much important as well. All facilities of PSB and government also wants that sports should be flourished in Pakistan .Our players have won the medals in South Asian Games 2019. Federation is providing all these facilities, now it is players’ job to work for the improvement of their fitness and game skills, “he concluded.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 18, 2019):-Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Mehboob set to meet in the Men’s Singles final of Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International squash tournament after claiming upset victories in the semifinals at Mushaf Squash Complex on Wednesday. Final will be played on Thursday at same venue. President, Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Air Chief Marshall, Mujahid Anwar will grace the closing ceremony as chief gust. On Tuesday, in the first semifinal, Farhan Mehboob thrashed top seeded Egyptian players Youssef Ibrahim 3-2 in a well contested match. Local outfit Farhan gave a tough time to his overseas opponent in first two games that he lost at 9-11 and 14-16 and he came from behind and recover the deficit by winning the next two at 11-2 and 11-5 to bounce back in the match. Final game went neck-to-neck and score was leveled at 5-5, 7-7 and then 10-10. On tiebreak Farhan, who had massive support of Pakistani spectators, finished the game at 12-10. Match lasted 50 minutes. Meanwhile, in the second semifinal, World No 60 Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) outclassed World No 51 Mohamed El-Sherbini (Egypt) 3-1 to move into final of the international showpiece. The final score-line was 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, as the match lasted for 46 minutes. Tayyab Aslam will meet compatriot Farhan Mehboob in the final on Thursday at same venue. Earlier, in the 1st semifinal of the women’s fixture, World No 101 Hana Moataz (Egypt) got rid of compatriot girl World No 56 Farida Mohamed (Egypt) 3-2 in most thrilling match of event. Hana went up by winning first two games at 11-7 and 11-2 but her challenger Farida Mohamed settled her feet on the court and clinched next two games at 11-9 and 11-3. However, in the decisive game, both players displayed great skills of game. At one stage, Farida was leading 5-0 but couple of miss judgment decisions of match referee Sajjad Ahmed provided a chance to Hana to go in the final fixture. Score was squared at 7-7 and 9-9. Hana won the final game at 14-12, as people were criticizing the final decision of Sajjad Ahmed. Farida Mohamed was sobbing and crying outside the court and was talking over her mobile to her family member. But she did not make any comment on this issue. In the second semifinal, World No 52 Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat World No 58 Meena Hamed (Egypt) in straight games 3-0. The final score-line was 11-6, 11-9, 11-6, as the match lasted for 23 minutes. Final will be played on Thursday.   Results (Men’s semifinals): Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) beat Youssef Ibrahim (Egypt) 8-11, 14-16, 11-2, 11-5, 12-10 (50 minutes) Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) beat Mohamed ElSherbini (Egypt) 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9 (46 minutes) Results (Women’s semifinals): Hana Moataz (Egypt) beat Farida Mohamed (Egypt) 11-7, 11-2, 9-11, 3-11, 14-12 (36 minutes) Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat Meena Hamed (Egypt) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (23 minutes).   

Aisam-ul-Haq to participate in the Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Tournament By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Hameed-ul-Haq and Ahmed Choudhary have won their match on Tuesday in the 5th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Tournament 2019 at Islamabad Tennis Complex G-6 Islamabad. Results (Men Singles Round-1): Barkat ullah beat Nauman Aftab 6-4, 6-1 Hameed ul Haq beat Ahmed Kamil 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Ahmed Choudhry beat Khursheed Abbassi 6-0, 6-2 Shezad Khan beat Ibrahim omer 6-0, 6-2 Yousaf Khan beat Rashid Malik 6-1, 6-4. Men Doubles (Round-2): Muzzamil Murtaza/Muddassir Murtaza beat Rashid Malik/Sikandar Hayat 6-2, 6-2 Aisam ul Haq Qureshi/Aqeel Khan beat Col Shahid/Usman Ejaz 6-1, 6-1. Boy’s Under-18: Mahatir Mohammad beat Ahtesham Arif 6-2, 6-2 Mohammad Shoib w/o Afham Rana Farman Shakeel beat Sami Zeb 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 Uzair Khan beat Hasan Ali 6-3, 6-4 Nalain Abbas beat Parbat Kumar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 Hamid Israr w/o Abdul Hanan Khan Osama Khan beat Zain ch 6-0, 6-0 Noor e Mustafa beat Kashan Umer 6-0, 6-1 Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Ahmed Nael 6-3, 6-0 Hasheesh Kumar beat Talha Khan 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 Faizan Shahid bt Hamza Asim 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 Aqib Hayat beat Yahya Musa Luni 6-3, 6-0.   Boys/Girls 1st round U-12: Ali Zain beat Marukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Ali beat Orhan Sohail 4-0, 4-1 Ahtesham Humayun beat Shahsawar Khan 4-1, 4-0   Boys/Girls 1st round U-10: Han li De w/o Jamal Shah Haziq Asim beat Aqtan Bekeshov 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Roman beat Lalarukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Abdul Wasay W/O Anees Ahmed Mohammad Shayan w/o Hamad Shah

International squash, Tayyab and Farhan jump into semifinals By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Duo of Pakistani players Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Mehboob jumped into the semifinals of Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International squash tournament by overcoming their respective opponents in quarterfinals at Mushaf Squash Complex on Tuesday. Semifinals will be played on Wednesday in the four-glass-wall court of same arena. In the first men’s quarterfinal, Pakistani guy Asim Khan succumbed by the high ranking Egyptian player Youssef Ibrahim 3-1 after a thrilling contest. Match was leveled 1-1 after two games, as the score was 13-11 and 11-13 respectively. Asim was looking bit tired in the rest of two games and allow his opponent to play strokes openly. He lost next two games at 5-11 and 9-11, as he had upper hand in both game in starting. Meanwhile, in the second quarterfinal, Farhan Mehboob displayed excellent skills of the game and did not allow his compatriot Farhan Zaman to settle the feet in the court and won the match 3-1. Son of Mehboob Khan’s game was a blend of powerful forehands, backhands and classic nicks during 20 minutes game. The final score-line was 11-2, 4-11, 11-5 and 11-3. Now, Farhan will take on top seed Youssef in the semifinals on Wednesday. In the third quarterfinal, Pakistan number one player Tayyab Aslam overcame Yahya Elnawasany from Egypt in straight games 3-0 in just wasting 20 minutes in the court. Mohammad El-Sherbini beat Rui Soares from Portugal in same style 3-0 in the fourth quarterfinal. In the second semifinal Tayyab will meet Mohammad El-Sherbini.    Results (Men’s Event):-  YoussefIbrahim (Egypt) beat Mohammad Asim Khan (Pakistan) 13-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-9 (44 Min) Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) beat FarhanZaman (Pakistan) 11-2, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3 (20 Min)  Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) beat Yahya Elnawasany (Egypt) 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (20 Min) Mohamed ElSherbini (Egypt)beat Rui Soares (Portugal) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (34 Min) Results (Women’s Event):         HanaMoataz (Egypt) beat Farah Momen (Egypt) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (25 Min) Farida Mohamed(Egypt) beat Waen Li Lai (Malaysia) 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 15-13, 11-8 (40 Min) Meena Hamed (Egypt) beat Cindy Merlo (Switzerland) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 (32 Min)  Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat Nadia Pfister (Switzerland) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (16 Min).  

England beat Pakistan by 29 runs in first T20 Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Bismah Maroof’s gutsy half-century was in vain as England Women beat Pakistan Women by 29 runs in the first of the three T20Is at Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. The Pakistan captain scored a 58-ball 60, hitting five fours. Pakistan lost both openers in the first five balls of the run chase as the scorecard read one for two at the end of the first over. The problems compounded when they lost two wickets in the last three balls of the Powerplay, which left them reeling at 47 for four. Bismah, over the course of her 11th T2oI half-century, led the rearguard effort by knitting a 46-run partnership with Umaima Sohail, who hit two fours and a six in her 14-ball 21, while her 60-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz (22 off 24) brought Pakistan closer to victory. She was the last Pakistan wicket as the hosts were bowled out on 125 in 18.4 overs. England’s Sophie Ecclestone shone with the ball taking three wickets for 21 runs, while the other notable performance came from Freya Davis, who took two wickets at the cost of 18 runs. Reflecting on her innings and the match, Bismah Maroof said: “I was looking to keep the scoreboard ticking by targeting bad balls and rotating the strike. My target was to stay at the crease till the end. “It was a batting-friendly wicket and we missed the trick by not constructing lengthy partnerships. We are doing well in bits and pieces but we are unable to make the most of the chances that we get. “I am backing these girls to bounce back in the next match as this unit has put remarkable performances in the past. This match has given the group the belief that we can chase down targets. There were some lapses in the fielding department today and we will try to cut them in the next two matches.” That England had scored an imposing 154 for four, after being put into bat, was largely due to a blistering 39-ball 53 by wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones. Over the course of her second half-century in the format, Jones, who struck 10 fours, provided a solid foundation. She knitted a 58-run partnership for the second-wicket with Tammy Beaumont (30 off 29) which helped England recover from an early dismissal of Danni Wyatt, who made run-a-ball six, in the fourth over. Speaking about her innings, Amy Jones said: “It's not an easy pitch to score quickly on, and I think the opening few overs are probably the best time to bat. “Pakistan were disciplined with the ball and they didn't make it easy so I think we did well to get up to 160, but we perhaps would have liked a few more. “The wickets in Australia at the World Cup won't be too similar to this but the important skill is adapting and hopefully adapting to these wickets will stand us in good stead for the World Cup.” The partnership was broken by 15-year-old debutant Aroob Shah. The leg-spinner accounted for Jones’ wicket in the 11th over and was the most-economical bowler from her side with 13 dot balls in four overs. She returned one for 21. For her exploits with the bat, Jones was named player of the match. Middle-order batters Natalie Sciver and Heather Knight made the most of the platform provided by Jones. Sciver made an unbeaten 29-ball 34 – hitting a six and a four – while Knight facing five deliveries of the final over of the England innings cracked three fours on her way to 13 not out. All-rounder Nida Dar was the successful bowler for Pakistan with two wickets for 30 runs in four overs. The second T20I will be played on Thursday. Scores in brief: England Women 154-4, 20 overs (Amy Jones 53, Natalie Sciver 34 not out, Tammy Beaumont 30; Nida Dar 2-30) Pakistan Women 125 all-out, 18.4 overs (Bismah Maroof 60, Sidra Nawaz 22, Umaima Sohail 21; Sophie Ecclestone 3-21, Natalie Sciver 2-12, Freya Davis 2-18) Result: England Women won by 29 runs

SISJA honours visiting journalists with Excellence Award  Abdullah Asjad RAWALPINDI:-The President  and the members  of  South  Asian  Sports  Journalists  Association  (SISJA) honored  the  visiting spor­ts journalists from Sri Lanka and other  countries with the "Excellence  Award" on historic  occasion of revival Test Cricket after 10 years at the soil of Pakistan at Media Center Hall of Pindi Cricket Stadium. On this occasion, President SISJA Asghar Ali Mubarak thanked the international media especially media friends from Sri Lanka, who came in Pakistan to cover game of cricket. He said that the entire Pakistani nation was feeling proud of reviving international cricket in the country after over one decade. The ceremony was attended by representatives of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), Pakistan Sports Writers’ Federation (PSWF) and Rawalpindi Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA). The veteran sports journaliss Asghar Ali Mubarak organised the ceremony on behalf of SISJAand RISJA with some renowned senior sports journalists including Abdul Mohi Shah, Abdul Jabbar Faisal, Rizwan Ehsan Ali aka Joji, Gabriel de Souza, Mohsin Ijaz, Zulfikar Baig, Arif Mehmood Khan, Nasir Aslam Raja, Rozina Ali, Sadia Rafay, Shakir Abbasi, Shakeel Awan, Nasir Abbas Naqvi, Malik, Khurram Shahzad, and others. Hosts journalists of twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad presented the awards and souvenirs to visiting journalists from Sri Lanka and Karachi. The fonder founder member RISJA Abdul Mohi Shah hoped that the Excellence Awards would remind the visiting journalists of their presence on the return of international cricket to Pakistan in the rest of their journalistic career. Asghar Ali Mabarak also thanked all the journalists for sparing their time for the Excellence Awards ceremony. The visiting journalists from Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi and Lahore also received their memento. These included Shahid Hashmi, Saveera Pasha, Mirza Iqbal Baig, Tariq Saeed, Syed Yahya Hussani, Khalid Hasan Khan, Farhan Khan. Young local journalists Amber Ali, RozenaAli, Bushra Gull, Shah Khalid Hamdani, Faisal Javeed Mughal and Abdul Wajid were also given awards to encourage them in the field of sports especially in cricket. Name of Sri Lankan Journalists, who received awards: Chamila Karavta, Ishra Kodikara, Oshitha Warakapitiya, Damith Weerasnghe, Andrew Fernando, Samsudeen Aroos, Udara de Silva, C Dissanayaka, Aboobucker Askar, Wichithra Weerasinghe DG Danushka Aravinda, Asela Vithana, Prince Gunasekara, Althaf Navaz and NV Anthony. Beside media persons, some awards were also distributed  among the cricket lovers including Chach Domestic Cricket Mohammad Yameen Gongha, Mama Cricket Khalid Jalil, Baba Cricket Yasir Hakim, Dada Cricket Dr. Abdul  Rehman,  Rescue  1122, Massood Khan.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-NBP T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2019 Grade II will start from Monday (December 18, 2019) and Grade I from December 25 in two different cities Attock and Bahawalpur respectively. According to an official, Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) is organizing National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Twenty 20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2019 Grade I and Grade II, which will be held in Bahawalpur and Attock separately from December 25 to 29 and December 18 to 22 respectively. Sports In-charge NBP Iqbal Qasim, SVP/DH CSRD NBP Iqbal Wahid, AVP CSRD NBP Asif Ahmed Khan and Director Marketing PBCC Syed Salman Bokhari, Wing Head Media publication NBP Ibne Hasan and Director Information and Coordination Asif Azeem addressed the media at a local hotel on Monday. Jehangir Manager (CSRD) NBP and Junaid Iqbal Officer (CSRD) NBP were also present on the occasion. On this occasion former Test cricketer Iqbal Qasim said that cricket was the most celebrated game in Pakistan. "Blind cricket in Pakistan has been recording phenomenal achievements after winning two Cricket World Cups and numerous international bilateral series, "he added. Meanwhile, Iqbal Wahid said that NBP had been very much interested in promotion of sports in Pakistan and been funding the game development at grass-root levels. “NBP is sponsoring T20 Blind Cricket Trophy for last 10 years and will continue its support in future too,” he said. Syed Salman Bokhari thanked NBP on sponsoring one event of blind cricket once in a calendar year and said that this initiative helped in the promotion of cricket for the blind across the country and this is reckoned as the largest domestic event of blind cricket as 16 teams are participating in the event.He informed that Grade-2 champion will be promoted to Grade-1 while last team on points table in Grade-1 will be relegated to Grade-2. At the end of the press briefing, the officials of NBP presented a sponsorship cheque Rs1.1 million for the two Grade I and II events.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 16, 2019):-The 5th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Championship kicked off here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) G-6/4 on Monday. All top seeded players of main draw moved into next round after beating their rivals. As many as 185 players from all over the country are participating in different categories of the national tennis fixture that has one million rupees prize money.   Results: Men’s Singles (Round-I): Aqeel khan beat Faizan Fayaz 6-1, 6-1 Sami Zeb beat Shakir ullah 6-3, 6-0 Israr Gul beat Danish Ramzan 6-2, 6-3 Asan ullah beat Ejaz Khan 6-1, 6-3 Heera Ashiq beat Ayaz Khan 6-0, 6-2 Mohammad Shoiab beat Farhad Ali Raza 6-1, 6-0 Muzzamil Murtaza beat Saqib Hayat 6-3, 6-4 Aman Atiq beat Shaheen Mehmood 6-1, 6-1 Muddassar Murtaza beat Jibran ul Haq 6-2, 6-3 Huzaifa Abdur Rehman beat Ahmed Baber 6-0, 6-0. Men’s Doubles (Round-I): Amed baber/Saqib hayat beat Ahmed Kamil/Nauman Aftab 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 Rashid Malik/Sikandar Hayat beat Danish Ramzan/Asad Bachani 6-0, 6-2 Shazad Khan/Ahmed Choudhry beat Shakir ullah/Asad Ullah 6-0, 6-0   Heera Ashiq/Yousaf Khalil beat Shahid Afridi/Shaheen Mehmood 7-5, 6-4 Mohammad Shoiab/Huzaifa Abdul Rehman beat Khursheed Abbasi/Aman Atiq bt 6-1, 6-2 Muzzamil Murtaza/Muddassir Murtaza beat Ejaz khan/Barkat ullah 6-3, 1-6, 10-4 Col Shahid/Usman Ejaz beat Muhammad Minhas/Ibrahim Omer 4-6, 6-4 10-8. Boys/Girls U-10: Haider Ali Rizwan w/o Hammad Shah Mohammad Haziq Asim beat Sameer Maqsood 4-2 4-0 Asad Zaman W/o Jamal Shah Haniya Minhas beat Mahnoor Farooqi 4-0, 4-0 Lala Rukh Sajid bt Awais Ali 4-1, 4-1.