Latest News
FOOTBALL - FIFA News 07 Apr, 2021
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
ISLAMABAD (April 7, 2021):-Due to interference in the matters of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalization Committee, the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided to suspend the Chadian Football Association (FTFA) with immediate effect due to government interference.
According to available information from abroad, the Bureau of the FIFA Council suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect due to third-party interference, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes.
This situation was prompted by the recent hostile takeover of the PFF headquarters in Lahore by a group of protestors and an alleged decision by certain individuals to remove the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee of the PFF led by Haroon Malik and to hand over the leadership of the PFF to Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah.
FIFA issued a letter warning that, should the illegitimate occupation of the PFF headquarters not be lifted and the office bearers recognised by FIFA not be permitted free access to the building to carry out their mandate, the matter would be immediately submitted to the Bureau of the Council for decision.
As the situation remains unchanged, the Bureau of the Council has decided to suspend the PFF. This suspension will only be lifted once FIFA has received confirmation from the normalisation committee of the PFF that the PFF’s premises, accounts, administration and communication channels are again under its full control and it can continue to carry out its mandate without further hindrance.
ATHLETICS - National 07 Apr, 2021
SPORTS REPORT
ISLAMABAD (April 7, 2021):-Top national athlete Arshad Nadeem along with his mentor on Wednesday left for Mashad, Iran to participate in the Javelin Throw discipline of 1st International Reza Cup that will be held from April 11-12, 2021.
According to an official of Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP), Reza International Cup is being organized by Athletics Federation of Ira. Arshad Nadeem will depart to Turkey from Iran on 13th April 2021 to attend a 3 week Olympic Training Camp for preparations of Olympic Games 2021. World Athletics Coach Viktor will train Arshad Nadeem. After attending the International training camp Arshad will return to Pakistan on 1st May 2021.
Zahid replaces Shadab for Zimbabwe tour
SPORTS REPORT
PRETORIA (April 7, 2021):-Wrist spinner Zahid Mahmood has been named as Shadab Khan’s replacement for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which will be played from 21-25 April in Harare, while Fakhar Zaman will stay with the side for the T20Is in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Zahid was originally named in the two-Test squad against Zimbabwe, while Fakhar was initially named for the ODIs. Both the changes were approved by the national selection committee on the request of the team management.
Sri Lankan players to get first vaccine dose on Sunday
By Bipin Dani
Sri Lankan national players will be given the first dose of vaccination on next Sunday. This was revealed by Prof. Arjuna de Silva, the chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket (board) management committee.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, Prof. Arjuna, who took charge of the SLC on Tuesday, said, "the players will be called at the Health ministry campus on April 11 and the first dose of vaccination to them is scheduled on the same day".
"They will be given India-made AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine".
"We have also planned the second dose of vaccine after 2-3 months. The entire national squad (Test players and the Limited Over players) and the support staff will be given the vaccine", De Silva further added.
The national team returned to the Island on Monday. The Tissera-Sobers trophy was shared by both the teams following both the Tests produced no results.
Pakistan Under-19 team to leave for Bangladesh on 17 April
SPORTS REPORT
LAHORE (April 6, 2021):-Pakistan Under-19 cricket team will now tour Bangladesh from Saturday 17 April instead of the original 11 April schedule. The tour has been delayed by six days due to the ongoing lockdown in Bangladesh.
Over the course of the last two days, the Pakistan Cricket Board and Bangladesh Cricket Board worked out an alternate schedule for the tour to ensure the tour takes place in a safe and secure environment (bio-secure bubble). There has been no change in the number of matches.
Pakistan U19 and Bangladesh U19 will play a four-day match in Sylhet from 23 April, followed by a series of five 50-over matches. The first three 50-over matches will be played in Sylhet followed by the last two matches in Dhaka.
At the conclusion of the tour, Pakistan U19 will embark on their return journey on 10 May.
Meanwhile, the final 17-member squad for the tour will be announced shortly. The squad will continue to train in Lahore till their departure. From 12 April, the camp that is presently taking place at the Gaddafi Stadium, will be shifted to the National High Performance Centre.
Pakistan U19 squad for Bangladesh tour (revised schedule):
Tour schedule:
17 April – Departure for Dhaka
23-26 April – Four-day match; SICS, Sylhet
30 April – 1st 50-over match; SICS, Sylhet
2 May – 2nd 50-over match; SICS, Sylhet
4 May – 3rd 50-over match; SICS, Sylhet
7 May – 4th 50-over match; SBNCS, Dhaka
9 May – 5th 50-over match; SBNCS, Dhaka
10 May – Team return to Pakistan
Mushtaq Ahmed sees big potential in Under-19 spinners
SPORTS REPORT
LAHORE (April 3, 2021):-Spin Bowling Consultant Mushtaq Ahmed feels Bangladesh-bound Pakistan Under-19 spinners are full of potential and have the talent to do big things for the country in the years ahead. He is working with the spinners in the 10-day training camp which is in progress at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.
Mushtaq, who also worked in the camp held for U19 players at the start of the year at the National High Performance Centre, will work with the teenage spinners until 11 April, when the final 17-member squad flies out to Dhaka for the one four-day and five 50-over matches.
Following an impressive 2020-21 domestic season, Aaliyan Mehmood, Ali Asfand, Arham Nawab and Faisal Akram received call-ups in the 20-player probable squad and are honing their skills under the guidance of Mushtaq, whose leg-spin brought him 346 international wickets from 1989 till 2003.
The four players also have the company of all-rounders Qasim Akram and Fahad Munir, who featured in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa last year.
Mushtaq Ahmed: “It is always a real pleasure to work with youngsters. I think this bunch is full of potential and has a bright future. At this stage of their careers, it is important for them to work develop control. The Bangladesh tour will provide them an opportunity of playing a four-day match while I will also work with them in the three-day practice match that starts tomorrow.
“The idea is to teach them the basics of both red and white ball cricket and the art of taking wickets. Among this lot, Faisal Akram is hugely promising and has great variations as a left-arm wrist spinner. Arham, Ali and Aaliyan are also very keen on making full use of this opportunity and my job is to impart the skills I learned as a player and coach in my career.
“With these spinners, our future is bright indeed and it is important that they are groomed and give constant exposure. Spinners need to bowl long spells in nets and in matches. The more they bowl, the better they get.”
The squad will play a three-day practice match from Sunday, which will be followed by two 50-over matches.
Pakistan U19 squad for training camp –Bangladesh tour:
Batsmen – Abbas Ali, Abdul Faseeh, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Fahad Munir, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Irfan Niazi, Mohammad Shehzad, Qasim Akram and Rizwan Mehmood
Wicketkeepers – Haseebullah and Raza-ul-Mustafa
Spinners – Aaliyan Mehmood, Ali Asfand, Arham Nawab and Faisal Akram
Fast bowlers – Ahmed Khan, Asim Ali, Muneeb Wasif, Tahir Hussain and Zeeshan Zameer
Players Support Personnel – Ijaz Ahmed (head coach and team manager), Imranullah (trainer) Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Mohtashim Rasheed (fielding coach), Hafiz Naeem (physiotherapist), Col (retd) Safdar Saeed (security manager), Faisal Rai (analyst) and Emmad Ahmed Hameed (media manager).
Tour schedule:
11 April – Departure for Dhaka
16-18 April – Training, Sylhet
19-22 April – Four-day match; SICS, Sylhet
26 April – 1st 50-over match; SICS, Sylhet
28 April – 2nd 50-over match; SICS, Sylhet
30 April – 3rd 50-over match; SICS, Sylhet
3 May – 4th 50-over match; SBNCS, Dhaka
5 May – 5th 50-over match; SBNCS, Dhaka
6 May – Team return to Pakistan
Additional players called for Pakistan Test camp
SPORTS REPORT
LAHORE (April 3, 2021):-Pakistan cricket selectors, as part of their strategy to keep all the leading performers involved in the system, have invited six additional players who will participate in the training camp for the Test players, which commences at the Gaddafi Stadium on 10 April.
These six players are: Irfan Ullah Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab), Rohail Nazir (Northern), Sameen Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Taj Wali (Balochistan), Waqas Maqsood (Central Punjab).
In the training camp held prior to the side’s departure for Johannesburg, the selectors had invited seven additional players so that the coaches would work on their development. Separately, a high performance training camp for 25 players not involved in the HBL Pakistan Super League 6, was held at the National High Performance Centre but it had to be closed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.
The Test players’ camp will run under a bio-secure environment from 11-20 April before the 11 players will depart for Harare on 21 April to join other members of the side. The two Tests will be played in Harare from 29 April-3 May and 7-11 May.
The camp will be held under the supervision of National High Performance coaches, including Saqlain Mushtaq (head of player development), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Mushtaq Ahmed (spin bowling coach), Umer Rasheed (fast bowling coach) and Atiq-uz-Zaman (wicketkeeping/fielding coach), Javed Sheikh (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Tahir (Physiotherapist) and a masseur.
Harare-bound Test players to attend camp are:
Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Saud Shakeel (Sindh, subject to fitness), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Tabish Khan (Sindh) and Zahid Mahmood (Southern Punjab)
Training programme (subject to last-minute changes):
11 April: Training at GSL from 1000-1300
12 April: Full day scenario match from 0930
13 April: Half-a-day scenario match from 0930
15 April: Full day scenario match from 0930
18 April: Full day scenario match from 0930
19 April: Half-a-day scenario match from 0930
20 April: Optional training or as advised by coaches
21 April: Departure for Harare
Pakistan beat India by 58 runs in Triangular Blind Cricket fixture
SPORTS REPORT
DHAKA (April 3, 2021):-Pakistan Blind’s Cricket Team outclassed traditional foes India by 58 runs in the opening match of Triangular Blind Cricket Series at Bashundhara Sports Complex, Dhaka, Bangladesh on Saturday. Pakistan will meet hosts Bangladesh in the next match on Sunday.
Ajay Reddy Captain of the Indian Blind Cricket Team won the toss and elected to bowl first. The decision proved right; as Pakistani opener, Mohammad Rashid was bowled on the 2nd ball of the innings without scoring a run. Zafar Iqbal didn’t last long also, he made only 6 runs. Pakistan was hovering at 15 for 2, thereafter Nisar Ali and Moain Aslam knitted a partnership of 59 runs to put the innings back on track. Nisar and Moain were dismissed after scoring 33 and 30 runs respectively. Badar Munir was sent down the order to attack on opponent bowlers. He proved his class by scoring a fiery 50 off just 27 balls with the help of 4 big sixes.
Pakistan finished the innings with 185 runs on the board for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Reddy was the pick amongst the Indian bowlers, he picked 2 wickets for 24 runs.
India started their chase well and kept the scoring rate well in their reach, but the wicket of Venkatesh opened the gate for Pakistan bowlers to run through Indian batting lineup. Venkatesh was dismissed by Anees Javed after scoring 16 runs. The B1 bowlers (totally Blind Bowlers), who have to bowl minimum 40% of the overs (in T-20 minimum 8 overs) changed the course of the match in the favor of Pakistan team with economical bowling. The rookie, Mohammad Shahzaib, only 18 years old, who was playing his first match against India, took 2 wickets in his 4 overs spell by giving away only 13 runs. India made 127 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of 9 wickets. Badar Munir was declared man of the match. Tomorrow Pakistan will take on Bangladesh. The match will start at 2:00 PM local time.
Women Emerging Camp to start on 3 April
SPORTS REPORT
LAHORE (April 1, 2021):-As many as 27 women cricketers will undergo skills and fitness training at the Moin Khan Academy in Karachi in the emerging women’s camp, which begins on 3 April.
Over the course of the 14-day camp, these 27 players will train under the supervision of the coaching staff of the women’s national cricket team namely David Hemp, the head coach, Arshad Khan, the bowling coach, and Drikus Saaiman, the strength and condition coach, along with academy coaches Mohsin Kamal and Naveed Anjum.
This camp will provide an opportunity to the national team coaches to observe up and coming cricketers and provide them awareness about the desired skills and fitness levels to thrive at the apex level.
The camp will be held under strict bio-secure environment and the players and support staff will be stationed at a local hotel.
In accordance with the PCB’s Covid-19 protocols, all those involved in the camp will undergo two tests before their integration in the bio-secure environment. Their first tests will be held at their residence on 31 March and those who return negative tests will undergo second testing on 3 April upon their arrival in Karachi.
Player names:
Aima Saleem Satti, Anoosha Nasir, Asma Amin, Arijah Haseeb, Ayesha Naseem, Bisma Amjad, Fajar Naveed, Fatima Khan, Fatima Zahra, Gul Rukh, Gul Uswa, Hamna Bilal, Hania Ahmar, Khushbakht Waseem, Laiba Fatima, Laraib Malik Aziz, Laveeza Munir, Momina Riasat Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nazish Rafique, Rida Aslam, Saima Malik, Shawal Zulfaqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Syeda Inshra Asad, Yusra Amir, Zaib un Nisa.
SPORTS NEWS - National 01 Apr, 2021
SPORTS REPORT
ISLAMABAD (April 1, 2021):-Shafique Sher Afridi and Farhanullah have been were elected unanimously as the President and General Secretary of KPK Netball Association for the next four years respectively.
The election was held under the supervision of President, Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF), Mudassar Arain and Secretary General, Syed Gohar Raza while the representatives of the KPK Sports Board Amjad Iqbal and Shafqat Mehmood were also witnessed the process.
The following office bearers were elected namely President, Shafique Sher Afridi who is also member of KPK Assembly; Senior Vice President, Zulfiqar Aziz; Vice Presidents, Saraj Mohammad, Kaleemullah, Khalid Khan, Awaid Khan and Miss Najma Qazi, General Secretary, Farhan Ullah, Associate Secretaries, Mohammad Ali and Aneela Shaheen; Treasurer, Naeem Zafar and Media Secretary, Ghani Ur Rehman. Seven members Executive Committee consist of Rehan Ahmed, Sher Khitab, Asia Sattar, Kabir Jan, Fayyaz Afridi, Aziz Uallah and Miss Mohsina.
After the election, newly elected President, Shafique Sher Afridi thanked the House to elect his as President of the Association unanimously. He assured the house that he would work for the promotion of netball in the province with his team on priority basis. "We will host National Netball Championship in June at Peshawar or Swat", he announced.
At the end of the meeting, President, Pakistan Netball Federation, Mudassar Arain and Secretary General, Syed Gohar Raza congratulated to the newly elected Office Bearers of Association and hoped that the newly elected office bearers would do the work for the promotion of Netball in province.
Most Popular
