BIPIN DANI Former First-Class cricketer Andy Moles, who coached Scotland team and also worked with the Afghanistan players has offered "all possible help" to Bandulla Warnapura.  Like Moles, Sri Lanka's first Test captain Bandulla Warnapura leg has recently been amputated below the knee.  "If you ever need a person who has gone through the challenges that lie ahead of you.. I am available 24/7…", Moles has conveyed the message to Warnapura through this reporter. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from South Africa, where he resides, said, "Yes there will be dark days ahead… However, if you can allow yourself to let people help you, you can get through those moments. Always remember there are people worse off than yourself". "When you are first told you are to have your leg amputated, all you can think about is that my life is over! How can I survive and create an income for my family. Then in my case, I started to think about the problems people are facing in their daily lives all around the world". "Then think about the support structure you have around you. The love of your family as well as your cricketing family. All of these people will be there to support you". Advising further, he says, "Then on top of that you have your own mental strength that has served you throughout your cricketing life". "God bless you and I will keep you in my prayers", Moles has said to Warnapura. Later, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo on behalf of the family, Warnapura's son, Madawa said, "We apologize for not being able to respond to our well-wishers' calls and messages individually at this situation, but their kind words and prayers in and around the world certainly kept us strong and surely has been a blessing for him. "We hope that Bandula/Our Father/Grandfather will soon be able to come back to us in his full energetic spirit so please continue to keep him in your prayers". "We as his family humbly thank all our relatives, the doctors, the ICU staff for every effort they take for his recovery".

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 13, 2021):-Home City Central Punjab produced a commanding performance to book their spot in the National T20 final with a one-sided seven-wicket victory over GFS Sindh in the second semi-final played under the lights at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Tuesday night. Central Punjab will take on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in what is their first National T20 final since the tournament was revamped as a six-team competition in the 2019-20 season. On Tuesday night, seasoned campaigners Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal spearheaded the 142-run chase with an almost flawless batting display that left the Sindh bowlers clueless. Wicketkeeper-batter Kamran registered the 44th T20 half-century of his career while Ahmed fell one short of his 40th T20 fifty. The two added 88 runs for the second-wicket. Kamran who played some typically stylish shots in his innings scored 51 off 36 balls (seven fours, one six) he was dismissed by spinner Abrar Ahmed in the 14th over. Ahmed was dismissed by Sohail Khan for 49 (46 balls, four fours). The pair of Hussain Talat (13 not out) and Qasim Akram (11 not out) took Central Punjab past the target with 13 balls to spare. Earlier, Sindh got off to a flying start as openers Sharjeel Khan and Khurram Manzoor added 50 in 6.2 overs. Central Punjab roared back in contention through their young all-rounder (player of the match) Qasim who got rid of Sharjeel for 32 (19 balls, five fours, one six). Sindh crashed from 50 for no loss to 87 for five as Qasim and left-arm-spinner Zafar Gohar ran through the middle-order with their probing spin bowling. After dismissing Sharjeel, Qasim got rid of Saud Shakeel (7) and Danish Aziz (0). Zafar dismissed Shan Masood (1) and Khurram who was Sindh’s top-scorer with 34 off 40 balls (three fours). Pacer Sohail who was promoted to number five in the batting order contributed 21 runs but Sindh never fully recovered from their batting slump and finished well short of a competitive total. They only reached 141 courtesy some big hits by tail-enders Mir Hamza (19 not out, 9 balls, one four, two sixes) and Rumman Raees 14. Qasim finished with three for 15 in four overs, while Zafar took two for 15 in his four-over spell. Wahab took two wickets for 30 runs. Scores in Brief: Home City Central Punjab win by seven wickets GFS Sindh 141 for 8, 20 overs (Khurram Manzoor 34, Sharjeel Khan 32; Qasim Akram 3-15, Zafar Gohar 2-15, Wahab Riaz 2-30) Home City Central Punjab 145 for 3, 17.5 overs (Kamran Akmal 51, Ahmed Shehzad 49; Sohail Khan 1-24) Player of the match:  Qasim Akram Wednesday’s match: Final –Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Home City Central Punjab -7:30 pm.

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 12, 2021):-A steady half-century from Sahibzada Farhan and a destructive 45 not out – at a staggering strike rate of 265 – will see Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defend their title in the final on Wednesday as they fashioned a five-wicket win over Northern in the first semi-final of the National T20 2021-22.  Defending 50 off last five, Northern had an impressive start to the death phase of the run chase as Zaman Khan leaked mere four singles and dismissed Nabi Gul in the 16th over. The next over, delivered by experienced T20 bowler Sohail Tanvir, gave away only six runs. It was the 18th over when Iftikhar Ahmed decided to take the charge with his side 40 runs away. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain smashed Zaman for two sixes in an over, which added 17 runs to the total. The match was settled in the penultimate over, as the right-hander, who had struck a thunderous 26-ball 54 not out last night against the same opposition in the final group-match, smoked Salman Irshad for three fours and a gigantic six over mid-wicket to leave only one run for the final over, which Khalid Usman overhauled with a towering six on the first ball. Iftikhar spanked four fours and three sixes in the innings. In this tournament, he has smashed 22 sixes – the most by any batter – and has a strike rate of 164, which is the best for the batters with more than 200 runs. It was Sahibzada Farhan’s third half-century of the tournament that had laid the foundation for the successful overhauling of 157. The right-handed opener – who is also the leading run-getter in the tournament with 421 at an average of 42.10 – led the 57-run alliance with fellow opener Musadiq Ahmed (seven off 15) before the latter handed an easy catch on the penultimate ball of the eighth over. Farhan started his innings by smashing Sohail for three boundaries in the opening over. Northern, however, did well to tame the pair for the next five overs in which Farhan and Musadiq could add only 26 runs. Farhan brought up his half-century the next ball after Musadiq’s dismissal as he caressed Anwar Jamal for a four through extra cover. He clubbed seven fours and a six in his 39-ball stay, over which he scored 53, before he holed out to long-on off Nauman Ali, who once again was the most economical bowler from his side with one for 17 off four overs. Kamran Ghulam, who smashed a brilliant 110 not out last night, made 29-ball 35, studded with six fours. Like Nauman, all other fours bowlers – Sohail, Zaman, Salman and Aamer Jamal – picked up a wicket each. Iftikhar’s call to insert Northern paid dividends as despite a solid 48-run alliance for the first wicket between Nasir Nawaz (27 off 18) and Ali Imran (run-a-ball 24), the Umar Amin-captained side put 156 for eight on board. The dismissal of Nasir – first ball after powerplay – off Khalid Usman broke the momentum and a caught and bowled by Iftikhar in the next over – that curtailed Ali’s stay at the crease – aggravated the situation. A 44-run stand between Umar (22 off 18) and Zeeshan Malik (29 off 21) promised to put the Northern innings back on track, but their dismissals in span of six balls – the former getting caught off Imran Khan Snr and the latter getting run out – left the batting side four down at 104 with 5.5 overs remaining. There were a few fireworks towards the end of the innings with Sohail spanking two sixes, but Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Arshad Iqbal soon made his presence felt by dismissing Sohail, Aamer Jamal and Nauman Ali. The right-arm pacer returned three for 35. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will face the winners of the second semi-final between Home City Central Punjab and GFS Sindh. Scores in brief Northern 156-8, 20 overs (Zeeshan Malik 29, Nasir Nawaz 27, Ali Imran 24, Umar Amin 22; Arshad Iqbal 3-35) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 161-5, 19.1 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 53, Iftikhar Ahmed 45 not out, Kamran Ghulam 35) Player of the match – Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 12, 2021):-Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Tuesday  invited 26 national players for training camp, which will be kicked off from October 21 at National Hockey Stadium Lahore under the control of camp commandant, Head Coach Olympian Kawaja Junaid aiming to prepare the team for Asian Champions Trophy. According to details, the Pakistan Hockey Federation has invited 26 players to the National Senior Hockey Training Camp to form and prepare the national hockey team to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from December 14 to 22. ?The camp will start from October 21 at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. The players in the camp have been instructed to report to the camp commandant and head coach National Hockey Team Olympian Khawaja Junaid on October 21 along with their departmental NOC, six-month valid passport, 12 passport size photographs. Names of players: Muneeb-ur-Rehman (Goalkeeper, Sui Southern Gas), Akmal Hussain (Goalkeeper, WAPDA), Defenders: Mubashir Ali (WAPDA), Abu Bakar Mahmood (National Bank), Tazeem Al Hassan (Mari Petroleum), Rizwan Ali (WAPDA), Asif Hanif (Mari Petroleum), Amjad Ali Khan (WAPDA), Osama Bashir (Air Force), Junaid Kamal (National Bank), Faizan (National Bank), Forwards: Umar Bhatta (WAPDA), Ali Shan (Sui Southern Gas), M. Azfar Yaqub (Sui Southern Gas), Rana Sohail Riaz (Sui Southern Gas), Ejaz Ahmed (WAPDA), Ahmed Nadeem (National Bank), Hamza Waheed (Air Force), Salman Razzaq (WAPDA), Naveed Alam (Sui Southern Gas), Obaidullah (Sindh, WAPDA), Nohaiz Zahid Malik (National Bank), Afraz (Mari Petroleum), Junaid Manzoor (National Bank), Zain Ijaz (Agricultural Development Bank) and Zakaria Hayat (Air Force). Camp Commandant will be Head Coach , National Hockey Team Olympian Khawaja Junaid while Coaches Olympians Syed Sameer Hussain (Air Force) and Ajmal Khan Lodhi International (Sialkot), Nadeem Khan Lodhi (Sialkot) Video Analyst and Abid Amin (Lahore) as Physical Trainer Will carry out their professional responsibilities in the training camp

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (October 12, 2021):-Duo of local guys, top seed Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Zaman moved into the quarterfinals of the ongoing Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International Squash Championship 2021 after beating compatriot challengers Ahmed Freed and Mohammad Asim Khan respectively in the 2nd round at Mushaf Squash Complex Islamabad Tuesday. In the first contest of the Men’s Fixture, World No. 45 Tayyab Aslam toiled hard in the court to overcome Ahmed Freed 3-2 in a thrilling 74 minutes game. Tayyab was crawling behind Ahmed after two games at 8-11 and 5-11. Pakistan number one lad reshuffled his feather and entered into the court with determination and clinched the next two games at 11-2 and 11-7 to level the match 2-2. However, no one was ready to kneel in the fifth and decisive game, which Tayyab finished at 11-9. The final score-line was 8-11, 5-11, 11-2, 11-7 and 11-9. Farhan Zaman ousted Mohammad Asim Khan 3-2 in the third match of the day at Mushaf Squash Complex. Both players showed excellent skills of squash by hitting powerful forehand and backhand drives with some classic drop shots. Unfortunately, Asim hit the ball unexpectedly down during the penultimate game, as he was ahead 2-1 in the match on that occasion, as he threw the game to provide a chance to opponent Farhan Zaman to come back in the match. At the end Farhan Zaman finished the match with the score-line of 11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8 and 11-2, as the match wasted 50 minutes. Results (Men Event): Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bt Amaad Fareed (PAK) by 8-11, 5-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-9 (74 Min)  Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt Martin Svec (CZE) by 12-10, 8-11, 11-1, 11-5 (31 Min) Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Mohammad Asim Khan (PAK) by 11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-2 (50 Min) Auguste Dussourd  (FRA) bt Khaled Labib (EGY) by 15-13, 11-8, 11-7 (31   Min) Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) bt Farhan Mehboob (PAK) by 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 15-13 (32 Min)  Max Lee (HKG) bt Chi Him Wong (HKG) by 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11 (42 Min) Henry Leung (HKG) bt Hugo Varela (ESP) by 11-9, 11-2, 11-3 (20 Min) Karim El Hamamy (EGY) bt Israr Ahmad (PAK) by 3-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-4, 11-6 ( 47 Min) Results (Women Event): Nadia Pfister (SUI) bt Rushna Mehboob (PAK) by 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 (17 Min) Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Riffat Khan (PAK) by 11-2, 11-0, 11-4 (09 Min) Farah Momen (EGY) bt Nimra Aqeel (PAK) by 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (12 Min) Salma Eltayeb (EGY) bt (WC) Sana Bahader (PAK) by 11-3, 11-2, 11-2 (13 Min) Nadeen Kotb (EGY) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) by 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 3-11, 11-2 (41 Min) Sadia Gul (PAK) bt Jelena Dutina (SRB) by 8-11, 12-10, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7 (38 Min) Noor ul Huda (PAK) bt Komal Khan (PAK) by 6-11, 11-8, 10-2 Rtd Hurt (15 Min) Marie Stephan (FRA) bt Anam Mustafa Aziz (PAK) by 11-4, 11-1, 11-2 (18 Min).

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (October 12, 2021):-Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia will contest Group A in the first round of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the right to reach the Super 12 stage. Only the top two teams will progress from the group after all four have played against each other once in the round-robin format, kicking off with the first games on October 18. Namibia will make history after qualifying for the tournament for the first time, having qualified through the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier with victory over Oman. Ireland and Netherlands also secured their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup berths through the same route while 2014 champions Sri Lanka qualified through their world ranking. The top seeds from Group A will enter Group 1 of the Super 12 stage along with Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies and the second seed from Group B. Meanwhile, the second team from Group A go into Group 2 with Afghanistan, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the top seeds from Group B after the first round of fixtures. Sri Lanka (seventh appearance) Favourites on paper to progress as top seeds from Group A, Sri Lanka have been inextricably intertwined with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ever since the first one in 2007. They have contested every single tournament since then, finishing runners-up in 2009 and 2012 before finally lifting the trophy with victory over India in the 2014 final. Outside the top eight of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings at the cut-off date and currently ranked 10th, their form going into the 2021 edition has been up and down to say the least. A landmark 2-1 series win over India in July this year was also bookended by 3-0 series whitewashes to England in their own back yard and the Proteas in South Africa. But no team has won more T20 World Cup games than Sri Lanka and their experience - along with a talented squad - makes them prime candidates to reach the Super 12 stage. Captained by Dasun Shanaka, Avishka Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera and Maheesh Theekshana are all potential match-winners for Sri Lanka on their day. They will open their campaign against debutants Namibia on 18 October in Abu Dhabi before a potentially decisive meeting two days later with Ireland, ranked two places lower in 12th. Sri Lanka conclude their Group A fixtures on 22 October with a clash in Sharjah against the Netherlands, who they defeated by nine wickets en route to claiming the 2014 title. Ireland (sixth appearance) Since missing out on the inaugural tournament in 2007, Ireland have been a regular feature of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and will contest their sixth in the UAE and Oman. Their best ever performance to date came on their debut at the 2009 edition hosted by England, progressing from the first round to reach the Super 8s after beating Bangladesh. Ireland have failed to progress beyond the first round in their last four appearances, missing out on net-run rate in 2014 following group stage wins over Zimbabwe and the UAE. But as shown by their victory against Bangladesh in 2009, they have made a penchant of beating teams higher in the standings than them at major tournaments over the years. Pakistan, England, West Indies and Zimbabwe have all fallen to Ireland in the 50-over Cricket World Cup and they will definitely fancy their chances of progressing from Group A. They booked their place at this year’s tournament by topping their group in the 2019 qualifier on net run rate despite dropping matches to Canada and the UAE in the process. A series victory over Zimbabwe earlier this year will certainly have encouraged captain Andrew Balbirnie ahead of his side’s opening fixture against the Netherlands on October 18. And with the likes of Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and rising star Josh Little among their ranks, the world No.12-ranked team possess the experience and talent to cause more upsets. Netherlands (fourth appearance) The Dutch showed their pedigree in the shortest format by winning the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier, beating Papua New Guinea by seven wickets in the final in Dubai. Netherlands had already secured their qualification by reaching the semi-final stage, where they defeated Ireland by 21 runs to lay down a marker to their Group A rivals. In fact, Netherlands have won seven of their 12 T20Is against Ireland and came out on top in their recent ODI series, meaning they will also be targeting a place in the Super 12 stage. Their squad is packed with experience, with Ryan ten Doeschate and Roelof van der Merwe two of the names who will be expected to play a prominent role during the middle overs. Stephan Myburgh is another player who will be able to provide plenty of know-how, with the 37-year-old scoring 280 runs at an average of 31.11 in his previous T20 World Cups. Another dangerous weapon comes in the form of tall fast bowler Paul van Meekeren, who can touch 140kph and possesses a slower ball that could cause plenty of problems. This is the fourth time that the Dutch have qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, making their debut in 2009 when they stunned England at Lord’s in a last-ball thriller. But their best performance in the tournament came five years later, topping Group B to reach the Super 10 stage where they notched another famous win over England. Namibia (debut appearance) The lowest ranked team in the tournament at 19th, Namibia are making their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup debut this year and will be viewed as underdogs to progress from Group A. Yet their road to the showpiece event showed that they do not give up without a fight, clinching their maiden appearance with five straight wins after defeats to Netherlands and PNG. Namibia’s 54-run win over Oman in their semi-final play-off at the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier sealed their place and capped an impressive year for Pierre de Bruyn’s emerging side. JJ Smit hits a six They also earned ODI status by winning the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 before securing their berth at this year’s T20 tournament with a string of impressive performances. While this will be Namibia’s first taste of the T20 World Cup and their first match at an ICC World Cup in either limited overs format since 2003, their squad is not without experience. Former South African international David Wiese has been included for his second T20 World Cup after the all-rounder qualified for the team through his Namibian-born father. Meanwhile, potent bowler JJ Smit is another of the team’s stars along with their skipper Gerhard Erasmus, who is capable of anchoring an innings or accelerating when needed. Namibia’s historic first match will be up against 2014 champions Sri Lanka, a tough examination that will be followed by meetings with Netherlands and Ireland in their bid for a Super 12 spot.

ABDULLAH ASJAD Rawalpindi (October 12, 2021):-The 2nd phase of Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) will kick off from October 14 at Rawalpindi while the 3rd phase will commence at Peshawar from November 9, 2021, the first match will be played between Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at Rawalpindi. According to Secretary General, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Mohammad Naveed Akram the 2nd phase of PPFL will be played from October 14 to November 6 at  Municipal Stadium, Rawalpindi while the 3rd phase from November 9 to 27 at Peshawar. Earlier, the first phase of the league was played at Multan from August 14 to September 11 and 39 matches were played there while a total of 132 matches of the league will be played. Prizes of Rs. 10 million will be distributed in the league. Twelve teams from across the country will take part in the league including Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan Army, Sui Southern Gas Company, Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Muslim Club Chman, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan WAPDA, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Lyallpur FC, Karachi United, and Huma Club Islamabad.  

News Desk ISLAMABAD (October 12, 2021):-The Olympic silver medalist Shane Baz made his first Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason start on Friday, 8 October. The 22-year old right-hander took the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Boston Red Sox in game two of the American League Division Series. His outing didn't last long. Baz allowed three runs on six hits over 2.1 innings of work. Five more Rays pitchers couldn't handle the Boston lineup, and the Rox Sox earned a 14-6 win and tied the series to one. Baz made his MLB debut on 20 September, pitching five strong innings for the Rays against the Toronto Blue Jays. He earned the win and did even better against the Miami Marlins on 26 September, going 5.2 innings, striking out nine and earning another win.   Baz started for the United States in the Tokyo 2020 game against Japan on 2 August. He went 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Japan beat the US 7-6 in 10 innings. Another international baseball alumnus made the headlines. Tanner Houck earned the win for the Boston Red Sox, pitching five strong innings out of the bullpen. The 25-year old right-hander allowed only one run on two hits while striking out five. "I definitely had little butterflies at first, but once I got out there and threw my warmup pitches, I felt like I was pretty comfortable," Houck told the MLB website. Houck started two games for fourth-place USA at the WBSC Premier12 2019. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits over 9.1 innings of work. One of the two hits off Houck was by replacement first baseman Ji-Man Choi. The 30-year old Korean slugger has spent his whole professional career in the United States. Nonetheless, he had his stint at international baseball, representing Korea in the U-12 and U-18 WBSC Baseball World Cups.

FIH Report Lausanne Switzerland (October 12, 2021):-Chief Executive of International Hockey Federation (FIH) Thierry Weil says in an interview: “We will work on the future Stars Awards with the global hockey community” Q: Were you expecting so much controversy about the results of the FIH Hockey Stars Awards? Answer: If, in an Olympic year, the Gold medallists don’t win any Award and another nation gets all of them, it is clear that this won’t come across well! Therefore, I of course do understand the disappointment and also, to some extent, the anger, especially of the teams concerned. At the same time, I want to congratulate the winners! They were all nominated by an expert committee – made of FIH, FIH Athletes Committee and high performance representatives – and therefore were as much entitled as the others to win! And both Indian teams had a fantastic performance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020! I assume that the natural joy which they should rightly feel by winning such an Award may have been altered by all this, and that is not nice either. Q; Do you think the current voting process is right? Answer: I’m not sure if there is any ideal process, to be honest. But this process – as long as it is implemented by everybody – should work. It is very similar to what is applied successfully by other organisations. It gives the chance to major hockey stakeholders – teams, players, coaches, fans and media – to cast a vote for the most important yearly awards in global hockey, while a higher weight is given to national team coaches and captains. Q; Was it a new process this time? Answer: No, it was pretty much the same as last time. There were two differences. Firstly, we made it compulsory for the National Associations that their votes should come from their national team coaches and captains; I believe that everybody will agree that this was the right thing to do in order to increase the technical legitimacy of the vote. Secondly, the voting process for the coaches was the same as the one for the athletes this time (while the FIH Coach of the Year Award was determined by an FIH panel previously). Q: Was this vote transparent enough? Shouldn’t you publish the individual votes, at least for the National Associations and media? Answer: Before the vote, we explained in detail the voting process as well as the weight given to the various voting groups. And after the vote, we published all results, from every voting group and for all nominees. Revealing who voted for whom is a question which we should have a look at. Will it bring something or not, I can’t tell at this stage. But we should not exclude any option before examining them. Q: Is it really a good idea to have fans voting for an Award which is meant to define the best athletes and coaches from a technical perspective? Answer:  Our overall strategy at FIH is to put athletes and fans at the centre of everything we do. So, it is essential to give fans an option to express their views. If in this regard the current process is the right one or not, is something we will need to analyse of course. But clearly we need to involve the fans one way or the other. After all, thanks to this vote, we will have the opportunity to engage with almost 300’000 fans! This is not only good for India – where most of these fans are coming from – but for the growth of our sport overall and therefore the whole hockey community! Also, as we’ve mentioned on the day of the vote, all winning athletes have topped the standings in each of the three voting groups (National Associations / Fans and Players / Media). In other words, even if fans wouldn’t have voted, the winning athletes would have been the same. Q: How do you explain that almost half of the National Associations (NAs) did not take the opportunity to vote? Answer:  I have to admit that I have no answer to this yet. Maybe we haven’t been clear enough? But we did send reminders to the NAs before the end of the vote. And I have personally contacted several members of the hockey community to warn them about this situation, and I know they were active. But still, many National Associations did not cast their vote. Clearly this had by far the biggest impact on the results. If you set up a jury but half of this jury doesn’t vote, how can you expect that people will unanimously accept the results? In our analysis, we will have to establish why this situation happened. Q; Will the process remain the same in the future? Answer:  I can’t answer this question before we do a thorough analysis. But I can tell you that we will work on the future Stars Awards with the global hockey community. We will engage with many stakeholders to come up with a process which receives the support of most, and then go with it for next year. These Awards are here to promote hockey, athletes and coaches. It isn’t good for anybody if they lead to controversy. I’ve already engaged with a few and will continue to do so. We will most likely create a Task Force to look at this. And I’m absolutely convinced that we will find a compromise which will ensure that the global hockey community celebrates these Awards in the future!

BIPIN DANI The ICC (International Cricket Council (ICC) decision to introduce DRS in the men's T20 World Cup for the first time has forced the Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna to begin fresh negotiations for his own recognition attached with the system.  For years, Senaka Weeraratna claimed to be the inventor of the DRS (Decision Review System) and he says his idea has been stolen by the authorities / officials.    "The DRS, which is a technology-based system used in cricket to assist the match officials in their decision-making was first my idea before the ICC put hands on it", Weeraratna, speaking over the telephone from Colombo, said on Monday morning. "I am fighting for my rights for the recognition and want it to be named after me". "I have also forwarded the copies of the legal opinions sought from the prominent lawyers and a letter written to the government of Sri Lanka to force the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to deal with the ICC", the lawyer added. The four-page letter, which has been seen by this Reporter was signed by Kusan Illangatilake Esqr (Attorney-at-law) and Dr. Harsha Cabral (Presidents Counsel), the opinion has been in favour of the lawyer, who has been running from pillar to post to seek due recognition has once again requested the SLC to fight for his case with the ICC.  "I approached Anil Kumble, the cricket committee chairman and Kumar Sangakkara, the former MCC president, to take my case to the highest level".   "I have once again requested the SLC to get me stamped as Father of DRS", he concluded.