By BIPIN DANI Sri Lankan physio Ajantha Wattegama was on toe throughout the first Test match in Centurion. However, he is not to be blamed for players' injuries, according to Dulan Kodikara, the Sri Lanka-born physio, who has been with the Australian players and following the performance of the national team with the same interest. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Australia, he says, "Just one man (Physio) cannot be blamed or held accountable for these injuries. It is an easy thing to point fingers and play the blame game when injuries occur". "The whole system and its implementation is to be held accountable. When the administration knew of the South African tour happening, they would have at least rested the key fast bowlers from being involved in the LPL. They should have conducted a fitness + bowling conditioning program to suit the longer formats of the game". "Meticulous planning which includes regular screening and testing of the players will help to keep track of their ups & downs, risk to sustain injury, fluctuations of fitness and well being including mental health".       "For all this to take place smoothly the sports science and sports medicine team not only needs experts and people with experience. They need systems to be in place. These practices have to be inculcated into a player when they are young, especially when the talent is identified and they are taken into a pathway program. If not these things may look/sound like “rocket science” to a lot of players. Especially a proper recovery (physical, social and psychological) + adequate supplements play a major role in minimising the injury risks", he further added. "I reckon people shouldn’t just blame Ajantha and wash their hands off. I certainly would not blame him or the team trainer without knowing the facts or what really happened behind the scenes, especially during the lead up to this Test series", he signed off.  Rest day Sri Lankan depleted players have got an additional day of rest because the Test match at Centurion finished within four days. "The ground, where the players will train is not ready and our first training session before the second Test match will now be held on January 1", one of the responsible members of the support staff, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Pretoria said.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (December 31, 2020):-The Pakistan Cricket Board today unveiled nominations for the PCB Awards 2020, the results of which will be announced on the PCB digital Platforms on Friday, 1 January 2020. The short-lists for 12 categories, including 10 individual categories, have been finalised by an independent panel comprising highly respected and distinguished cricket personalities. In short-listing the nominees, the independent jury did not limit itself to just player performances, but also took into account various other factors, such as the opponent, impact, value and contribution of the players in the matches and/or during the period under consideration. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, T20I specialist Mohammad Hafeez and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi have been short-listed in three categories each, while Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah and Shan Masood have been nominated in two categories each. Both Babar and Shaheen feature in the White-Ball Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year categories, while Hafeez has been short-listed in the Individual Performance of the Year, White-Ball Cricketer of the Year and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year categories. Haris Rauf has made his way to the Men’s Emerging International Cricketer and White-Ball Cricketer of the Year categories and Rizwan has been included in the Test and Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year categories. Naseem is contending for the Men’s Emerging International and Individual Performance of the Year categories, while Shan competes for the Individual Performance and Test Cricketer of the Year categories. Apart from Hafeez (86 not out, 52b, 4x4, 6x6 v England 3rd T20I), Naseem (four for 26, including a hat-trick, v Bangladesh, only Test), Shan (156 v England, 1st Test) and Fawad Alam have been short-listed as well. Fawad has been included for his 102 in the first Test against New Zealand which finished in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday. The four nominees for the Domestic Cricketer of the Year are Hasan Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel and Zahid Mahmood. Mohammad Huraira, Mubasir Khan, Rohail Nazir and Qasim Akram have been short-listed in the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year category. Players born on or after 1 August 1999 and yet to make international debut for Pakistan in the 15-month period from 1 September 2019 to 31 December 2020 were considered for this category. There are two women’s individual award categories despite limited cricket. For the Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Najiha Alvi and Syeda Aroob Shah have been short-listed, while Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan and Muneeba Ali have been nominated for the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award. Spirit of Cricket Award and Corporate Achievement of the Year nomination were also decided by the independent jury, whereas the four umpires shortlisted on the recommendation of the match referees and six First XI Cricket Association captains are Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob, Ghaffar Kazmi and Shozab Raza. Categories (in brackets are the criteria): Umpire of the Year (Period under consideration 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Ahsan Raza ·         Asif Yaqoob ·         Ghaffar Kazmi ·         Shozab Raza Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year (Players born on or after 1 Aug 1999. Period under consideration 1 Sep 2019 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Ayesha Naseem ·         Fatima Sana ·         Najiha Alvi ·         Syeda Aroob Shah Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year (Players born on or after 1 Aug 1999 who are yet to make international debut for Pakistan. Period under consideration 1 Sep 2019 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Mohammad Huraira ·         Mubasir Khan ·         Rohail Nazir ·         Qasim Akram Men’s Emerging International Cricketer of the Year (International debut after 1 September 2019) ·         Haider Ali ·         Haris Rauf ·         Naseem Shah ·         Khushdil Shah Women’s Cricketer of the Year (Period under consideration 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Aliya Riaz ·         Bismah Maroof ·         Javeria Khan ·         Muneeba Ali Domestic Cricketer of the Year (Events under consideration HBL PSL 2020, National T20 Cup 2020 and first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2020) ·         Hasan Ali ·         Kamran Ghulam ·         Saud Shakeel ·         Zahid Mahmood Individual Performance of the Year (20 international matches played between 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Fawad Alam - 102 v New Zealand, 1st Test ·         Mohammad Hafeez – 86 not out, 52b, 4x4, 6x6 v England 3rd T20I ·         Naseem Shah - 4-26 (hat trick) v Bangladesh, first Test ·         Shan Masood – 156 v England, 1st Test Spirit of Cricket (Period under consideration 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Sindh players thanking a retiring Imran Farhat for his contributions. ·         Pakistan team visiting Bangladesh dressing room after their 2-0 win in the T20I series. ·         Pakistan players congratulating Zak Crawley after his 267 in the Southampton Test. ·         Pakistan players congratulating Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura on a successful career. Corporate Achievement of the Year (Period under consideration 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         First-ever HBL PSL 2020 in Pakistan ·         Pakistan cricketers inspiring other international sides to play during the Covid-19 pandemic ·         A complete, competitive and exciting 2020-21 domestic season during the pandemic ·         South Africa and England men’s national cricket teams confirming tours to Pakistan in 2021 White-ball Cricketer of the Year (three ODIs and 12 T20Is from 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Babar Azam ·         Haris Rauf ·         Mohammad Hafeez ·         Shaheen Shah Afridi Test Cricketer of the Year (five Tests between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 Dec 2020) ·         Babar Azam ·         Mohammad Rizwan ·         Shaheen Shah Afridi ·         Shan Masood Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year (five Tests, three ODIs and 12 T20Is from 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020) ·         Babar Azam ·         Mohammad Hafeez ·         Mohammad Rizwan ·         Shaheen Shah Afridi

SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (December 31, 2020):-The women national selection committee announced a 17-player squad for ODI and T20I series against South Africa, which will be played in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Javeria Khan will take the captaincy responsibilities in the absence of Bismah Maroof. Urooj Mumtaz-led selection committee, which also includes Asmavia Iqbal and Marina Iqbal, considered on-field performances in the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship, played from 22 November until 1 December in Rawalpindi, along with form and fitness of the players in the High Performance and probables camp while finalising the squad. Ayesha Zafar, Kainat Imtiaz, Nahida Khan and Nashra Sandhu return to the women’s national team for the tour in which they will play the hosts in three ODIs and as many T20Is. Nahida Khan finished the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship as the leading run-scorer with 154 runs at an average above 51 from her four outings. Her PCB Dynamites teammate Ayesha Zafar was the fourth best batter in the tournament with 111 runs. All-rounder Kainat Imtiaz was awarded player of the tournament award as she scored 111 runs from four outings, getting dismissed once, and took three wickets, while left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu finished as the joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament with four wickets at 25. When the team takes the field for the first one-dayer at Kingsmead Stadium, Durban, on 20 January, it will mark their return to international cricket after over 10 months due to the Covid-19-enforced hiatus. After the second one-dayer at the same venue on 23 January, they will move to Pietermaritzburg where they will play the third ODI on 26 January and first two T20Is on 29 and 31 January. For the last T20I on 3 February, which will also be the last match of the tour, the team will return to Durban. Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of national women selection committee: “The squad has been selected after closely observing the players in the recent High Performance and probables camps and the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship. We have seen significant improvement over the last three months in the intent and mindset of the players and the team is shaping up well for the upcoming series. The squad is well balanced and possesses a good blend of youth and experience for what promises to be an exciting tour. “Javeria Khan is an experienced campaigner and has the desired understanding of the game which is necessary to lead the national women’s team. She has undertaken this responsibility in the past and I am certain she will rise to the occasion and inspire the players. “Our last tour to South Africa in 2018 produced high-quality cricket and we are looking forward to yet another competitive tour, which will be instrumental for the new head coach David Hemp as well as in our preparations for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. “Selecting a squad is never a stroll in the park and naming 17 players for this tour was no different. David and I have identified key areas of the game where these players must continue to improve. We will be having honest conversations with the players who were unable to make it this time, as they remain an integral part of our plans.” The 17-player squad will continue to prepare for the tour in the bio-secure environment, which was set up on 20 December for the probables camp, in Karachi before their departure on 11 January. Squad (for ODIs and T20Is) Javeria Khan (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Syeda Aroob Shah.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 29, 2020):-Kashmir Premier League (KPL) on Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a charity organization, Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) aiming to develop cricketing activities to bring into line the community development with the cricketing activity creating a platform, which would positively encompass the people and land of Kashmir. The signing ceremony took place at local hotel. On this occasion, Arif Malik, President KPL said, “We have already Shahid Khan Afridi on board as our brand ambassador for the league and he already has a personal association and empathy for Kashmir and its people”. Shahid Afridi mentioned that he has visited Kashmir and term it as the Heaven on Earth. He also said he supports the Kashmiri Agenda and vow the launch of Kashmir Premier League a brand dedicated to the region. Mr Shahid Afridi is willing support the league initiative as it would open doors to new opportunities for the people. Through this process KPL will be promoting Shahid Afridi foundation on shirt logos and sponsoring food drives and other CSR projects. On this event Ch. Shahzad Akhtar CEO – KPL, shared his thoughts and highlighted the importance of KPL for the Kashmiri Community and said this will be a landmark event for the region. Other designated guests included Adil Waheed – Owner Mirpur Royal, Muhammad Arshad Khan Tanoli – Owner Muzaffarabad Tigers, Samar Abbas – Member Advisory Council KPL, Amir Nawab – Director Cricket Operations and Tanveer Mughal – Manager Cricket Operations KPL. It is pertinent to mention that KPL is a T20 fixture and six teams from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) will fight for top honour that included Rawalakot Hawks, Kotli Panthers, Mirpur Royals, Muzaffarabad Tigers, Overseas Warriors and Bagh Stallions. The matches will be played at Muzaffarabad, Mirpur and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from April 1 to 10 next year 2021.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 27, 2020):-Muzammil Murtaza stunned heavyweight Aqeel Khan 2-1 in the Men’s Singles final of the 6th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2020 at the PTF Complex, Islamabad on Sunday. The final score-line was 7-6, 3-6 and 6-4. Ayman Ismael, CFO Eighteen was the guest of honor while Anwar Saifullah Khan, president Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), graced the occasion as chief guest to witness the finals and distributed prizes among the winners. Anwar Saifullah Khan appreciated the role of sponsors in the promotion of tennis in collaboration with PTF. He also appreciated the tournament organizers for conducting such an excellent event. He praised the role of media for promotion of sports in Pakistan and especially game of tennis. Earlier, in the Women’s singles final, Sarah Mahboob Khan had to work hard in the court to overcome her opponent Ushna Suhail 2-1 in a well-contested 3-set match with the score-line of 7-6(3),5-7 and 6-4. Results (Finals): Men’ Singles Muzammil Murtaza beat Aqeel Khan: 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 Ladies’ Singles Sarah Mahboob beat Ushna Suhail: 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4 Seniors 45 Plus Mehmood Khan/Azeem Khan beat Rashid Malik (ZTBL)/Fayyaz Khan: 6-2, 4-6(10-5)

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 26, 2020):-Muzammil Murtaza and Aqeel Khan reached into the final of Men’s Singles Event of the 6th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2020 at the PTF Complex, Islamabad on Saturday. Now, both will meet in the final on Sunday at same venue. Results: Men’s Singles Matches: Muzammil Murtaza bt Shahzad Khan: 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 Aqeel Khan bt Mohammad Abid: 6-4, 6-3 Ladies Singles: Sarah Mahboob bt Hania Navaid 7-5, 6-0 Ushna Suhail bt Esha Jawad 6-2, 6-0 Boys Under-18: Mohammad Shoaib bt Aqib Hayat: 6-2, 6-1. Boys Under-16: Hamid Israr/Sami Zeb bt Farman Shakeel/Nalain Abbas 5-3, 5-3 Mahatir Muhammad/Haseesh Kumar bt Mohammad Talha Khan/Mohammad Huzaifa Khan 4-1, 4-0 Boy’s Unser-14 Singles: Bilal Asim bt Hussnain Ali Rizwan 4-2, 4-1 Hamid Israr bt Haider Ali Rizwan 4-2, 4-2 Hamid Israr bt Bilal Asim 4-1, 4-2 Girls’ U-14 Singles: Sheeza Sajid bt Fatima Ali Raja 4-2, 4-0 Amna Ali Qayum bt Natalia Zaman 4-2, 5-4(11) Boy’s/ Girl’s U-12: Hamza Roman bt Ehtisham Hamayun 5-4(6), 4-2 Haniya Minhas bt Hamza Ali Rizwan 1-4, 4-2, 4-2 Hamza Roman bt Haniya Minhas 4-2,4-2 Boy’s/ Girl’s U-10: Mohammad Hassan Usman bt Zohaib Afzal 4-2, 2-4, 5-3 Ismail Aftab bt Hamad Shah 4-1, 4-1 Mohammad Hassan Usman bt Ismail Aftab 4-2, 4-0 Seniors 45 Plus: Mehmood Khan/Azeem Khan bt Wakeel Khan/Amjad Nasir 6-3, 6-1 Rashid Malik/Fayyaz Khan bt Israr Gul/Shakeel 4-6, 6-3(10-3)

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 25, 2020):- Shahzad Khan, Muzammil Murtaza, Mohammad Abid and Aqeel Khan qualifies for the Men’s Singles semifinals of the 6th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2020 at the PTF Complex, Islamabad on Friday. All four quarterfinal matches won by the high ranked players in straight sets, as Muzammil overcame Heera Ashiq 2-0 in a well-contested match, as the both sets ended at tiebreak. Semifinals will be played on Saturday at same venue. Results: Men’s Singles (Quarterfinals): Shahzad Khan bt Mudassir Khan 6-3, 6-3 Muzammil Murtaza bt Heera Ashiq 7-6(5), 7-5 Mohammad Abid bt Mohammad Shoaib 6-0, 6-4 Aqeel Khan bt Ahmed Ch. 6-4, 6-2 Men’s Doubles (Semifinals): Mohammad Abid/Waqas Malak bt Yousaf Khalil/Heera Ashiq 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 Muzammil Murtaza/Mudassir Murtaza bt Abdal Haider/Ahmed Ch. 2-6, 6-3, 10-7 Ladies Singles (Quarterfinals): Esha Jawad bt Mahvish Chistie 6-1, 6-0 Sarah Mahboob bt Sheeza Sajid 6-0, 6-0 Hania Navaid bt Noor Malik 6-4, 6-3 Ushan Suhail bt Mariam Mirza 6-2, 3-0(Ret) Boys Under-18 Singles: Aqib Hayat bt Hasheesh Kumar 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 Mohammad Shoaib bt Mahatir Mohammad 6-3,6-1 Boys Under-14 Singles: Husnain Ali Rizwan bt Shahsawar Khan 4-5(8), 4-1, 4-0 Hamid Israr bt Mohammad Hamza Aasim 4-0, 4-2 Haider Ali Rizwan bt Hamza Roman 2-4, 4-1, 4-2  Bilal Asim bt Ahtesham Humayun 4-1, 4-0 Girls Under-14 Singles: Sheeza Sajid bt Hareem Fatima 4-0, 4-0 Fatima Ali Raja bt Soha Ali 4-2, 4-0 Natalia Zaman bt Sara Khan 4-0, 4-2 Boys/ Girls Under-12 Singles: Haniya Minhas bt Zohaib Afzal 4-2, 4-0 Hamza Roman bt Mohammad Haziq Aasim 4-0, 4-2 Ahtesham Humayun bt Amir Mazari 5-4(3), 5-4(1) Hamza Ali Rizwan bt Ali Zain 4-0, 4-0 Boys/ Girls Under-10 Singles: Mohammad Hassan Usman bt Zohaib Amjad 4-0, 4-2 Hamad Shah bt Mohammad Bilal Fahd 4-0, 4-0 Zohaib Afzal bt Mohammad Shayan 4-2, 4-2 Senior’s 45 Plus: Wakeel Khan/Amjad Nasir bt Altaf Hussain/Shahid 6-1, 6-4

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (December 24, 2020):-The HBL Pakistan Super League 2021 is set to showcase Pakistan’s best talent once again as categories of the players who took part in the HBL PSL 2020 have now been finalised. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2020 edition after scoring 473 runs in 12 matches, is joined by Karachi Kings teammates Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir in the Platinum category. Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan continues in the Platinum category as his teammate Faheem Ashraf moves down to the Diamond category for the HBL PSL 2021. Peshawar Zalmi trio of Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz have been placed in the Platinum category while fast bowler Hasan Ali moves to the Diamond category. Multan Sultans captain Shan Masood has moved up to the Diamond category with his impressive performances across HBL PSL 2020 and the National T20 Cup. Shan’s teammates Shahid Afridi and Sohail Tanvir have been placed in the Platinum category. Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is in the Platinum category while fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain moves up from Gold to Diamond after ending as Quetta’s leading wicket-taker in the HBL PSL 2020 with 15 wickets. Fakhar Zaman, who ended up as the second highest scorer in the HBL PSL 2020 with 325 runs in 12 matches for Lahore Qalandars, continues in the Platinum category where he is joined by teammates Mohammad Hafeez and Shaheen Shah Afridi, the highest wicket-taker of HBL PSL 2020. Qalandars pacer Haris Rauf’s meteoric rise continues as the fast bowler moves up from Gold to Diamond. He is the leading wicket-taker in 2020 with 57 scalps at 19.57. With the category renewal process and pick order finalised, the transfer and retention window is now officially open. As part of the category renewal process, franchise representatives were required to vote for every player. Teams were not allowed to vote for their own players but submit review requests at the end of this voting stage. The list was then reviewed by Director – High Performance Nadeem Khan and GM Commercial Imran Ahmed Khan, who has been leading player acquisition for HBL PSL since 2017. Factors including national team performances, domestic performances and perceived T20 brand value were considered while finalising local players’ categories. Director Commercial Babar Hamid: “The category renewals for the local players is a key step towards the delivery of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2021. The renewals were done on the basis of structured and meritorious criteria with an aim of providing fair and equal opportunity to all local players in what is one of the most followed and competitive cricket leagues in the world. “I am sure that like the previous five seasons we will see top-quality performances from our local players and a lot of young players will get a wonderful opportunity of showcasing their talents and progressing to the international stage by their exposure to a platform like the HBL PSL.” The category renewals did not apply to those players who were drafted in HBL PSL 2020 Playoffs in November. These players will be part of the overall player pool that will be available for selection at the HBL PSL Player Draft. Players who have represented Pakistan in any format have been assigned a base category of Gold. Under-23 players cannot be part of a squad as an Emerging player for more than two years unless they have played three or less matches in those two years. Teams can now send relegation requests for the players before finalising retentions. After a relegation request is floated, all other teams are given a chance to meet the player’s base category. If no team matches the player’s base category, the player may be relegated to a category below his base category.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (December 24, 2020):- Mohammad Shoaib Khan overcame Ahmed Babar 2-1 in the only three sets fair of Men’s Singles Event of the ongoing 6th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2020 at the PTF Complex, Islamabad on Thursday. Rest of seven matches ended in straight sets, as the quarterfinals will be played on Friday at same venue. After losing first set at 4-6, Mohammad Shoaib Khan displayed excellent game and did not allow his opponent Ahmed Babar to settle in the court and won rest of two sets by conceding only two and one game respectively. The final score-line was 4-6, 6-2 and 6-1. Results: Men’s Singles (Round-II): Mohammad Abid bt Asad Ullah 6-2, 6-2 Aqeel Khan bt Abdal Haider 6-1, 6-2 Shahzad Khan bt Ahmed Kamil 6-2, 6-0 Mudassir Murtaza bt Waqas Malik 6-2, 6-0 Muzammil Murtaza bt Yousaf Khalil 6-2, 6-4 Ahmed Ch bt Mahatir Mohammad 6-1, 6-0 Heera Ashiq bt Hasheesh Kumar 6-4, 6-2 Shoaib Khan bt Ahmed Babar 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 Men’s Doubles (Quarterfinals): Mohammad Abid/Waqas Malak bt Ahmed Asjad/Subhan Bin Salik 6-3, 6-2 Yousaf Khalil/Heera Ashiq bt Ahmed Kamil/Ibrahim Omer 6-3, 6-4 Usman Ejaz/Shahzad Khan bt Abdal Haider/Ahmed Ch 6-0, 1-6,12-10 Muzammil Murtaza/Mudassir Murtaza bt Asad Ullah/Abbas Khan 6-3, 6-1 Ladies Singles (Quarterfinals): Hania Navaid bt Azeena Aleem 6-2, 6-0 Sheeza Sajid bt Saher Aleem 6-7(10), 6-0, 6-3 Noor Malik bt Arooj Fatima 6-0, 6-0 Esha Jawad bt Oreen Jasia 6-1, 6-0 Boys Under-18 Singles (Quarterfinals): Mahatir Mohammad bt Zalan Khan 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1) Hasheesh Kumar bt Sami Zeb 6-3, 7-6(2) Aqib Hayat bt Nalain Abbas 6-3, 6-2 Shoaib Khan bt Hamid Israr 6-3, 6-1 Boys Under-14 Singles (semifinals): Shahsawar bt Abdul Basit 4-0, 4-1 Haider Ali Rizwan bt Sameer Zaman 4-0, 4-0 Girls Under-14 Singles: Aliza Fahd w/o Hareem Fatima Fatimal Ali Raja bt Zara Khan 5-3, 4-1 Soha Ali bt Arooj Fatima 4-0, 4-1 Boys/ Girl’s Under-12 Singles: Ahtesham Humayun bt Hamza Hussain 4-1, 4-1 Amir Mazari bt Taimoor Khan 4-0, 4-1 Hamza Ali Rizwan bt Rayan Khan 4-0, 4-0 Zohaib bt Ismail Aftab 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Roman bt Samer Zaman 4-1, 4-1 Haniya Minhas bt Amna Ali Qayum 4-0, 4-0 Ali Zain bt Ammar Masood 4-2, 4-1 Mohammad Haziq Aasim bt Zunaisha Noor 4-0, 4-2 Mohammad Hamza Aasim bt Asad Zaman 4-2, 5-3 Boys/ Girls Under-10 Singles: Hajra Bibi w/o Mohammad Hussain Usman Ishan Kabir bt Fajar Fayyaz 4-1, 4-0 Zohaib Amjad bt Eesa Fahad 4-2, 4-1

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (December 22, 2020):-As we approach the end of a challenging year, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) can confirm that Belgium men and the Netherlands women will finish 2020 sitting top of the FIH World Rankings. In January, FIH introduced its new match-based model for the calculation of the FIH World Rankings, with the FIH Hockey Pro League matches that were played in early part of the year seeing regular fluctuations in the standings before the COVID-19 global health pandemic brought the competition and all international hockey to a standstill in March. The brief but wonderful return of the competition between September and November saw further exchanges of points between the men’s and women’s national teams of Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Great Britain. The Netherlands (2631.99 points) are 457 ranking points ahead second placed Argentina (2174.61) at the top of the women’s FIH World Rankings, with Germany (2054.28) occupying third position, climbing one place following their FIH Hockey Pro League results against Belgium in September. Australia (2012.89) finish the year in fourth place, with England / Great Britain (1952.74) and New Zealand (1818.98) fifth and sixth respectively. Spain (7th place - 1802.13), Ireland (8th place - 1583.09), India (9th place – 1543.00) and China (10th place – 1521.00) complete the top ten. In the men’s FIH World Rankings, reigning world and European champions Belgium (2496.88 points) sit at the summit in front of 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League winners Australia (2nd place - 2385.70), Netherlands (3rd place – 2257.96) and India (4th place – 2063.78). Olympic champions Argentina (1967.39) are in fifth, followed by Germany (6th place – 1944.34), England / Great Britain (7th place – 1743.77), New Zealand (8th place – 1575.00), Spain (9th place – 1559.32) and Canada (10th place – 1417.37). The rankings calculations model that FIH introduced on 1st January 2020 moved away from the previous tournament-based rankings system to a dynamic, match-based method where opposing teams exchange points in official, FIH sanctioned games. The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. While the impact on the number of international matches being played in 2020 was dramatically reduced due to the pandemic, FIH Sport and Development Director Jon Wyatt felt the new approach to the FIH World Rankings was having a positive impact.  “Clearly with so few matches played this year compared to what we would expect in any normal year, the movement in rankings, now that we are using a match-based system, was not as great as it will be”, said Wyatt. “However, even in the limited number of matches that were played we saw the system working well, with points being exchanged that resulted in some movement up and down the rankings table after each match. We are all looking forward to seeing the dynamism of the system working to its full potential once the complete programme of international matches restarts again, so that the rankings will reflect the current form of each team. Let’s hope that’s not too far away.”