Sports Bulletin ReportAbu Dhabi (UAE);  Through an enthralling display of bowling prowess, MI Emirates skittled out Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for 95 runs in 14.1 overs to record a resounding nine-wicket win in the sixth match of the DP World ILT20 Season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Trent Boult (3 for 14) wiped away the cream of the Knight Riders’ batting backed by Akeal Hosein with two wickets for 21 runs. Knight Riders’ experienced allrounder Andre Russell stood amidst the ruins to hit a fighting 48 runs off 25 balls with four sixes and three boundaries. Muhammad Rohid Khan hastened the end of Knight Riders’ innings taking three wickets for 25 runs. MI Emirates began their chase with Mohammad Waseem and Kusal Perera striking comfortably. Waseem started by hitting Josh Little for two boundaries and a six off consecutive deliveries in the first over while Perera did the same against David Willey in the second over off successive deliveries. Together they put on 42 runs in 4.2 overs before Perera got out to Matiullah Khan caught by Sunil Narine at mid-on for 22.Skipper Nicholas Pooran, who joined Waseem, carried his team quickly to the target with an unbeaten 39 off 16 balls with five sixes and one boundary. Waseem remained unbeaten on 26 off 20 balls with two boundaries and a six. The MI Emirates won the match with 71 balls to spare. This big win lifted them to the top of the table too. The tale of Knight Riders’ disastrous batting began after Emirates won the toss and elected to bowl. Knight Riders lost half the side for 22 runs in 6.1 overs. UAE’s 21-year-old opener Alishan Sharafu had started off by scoring boundaries off Hosein and Boult, but fell in the third over hitting Hosein to Tim David at mid-off for 10. His opening partner Andries Gous, who had hit a match winning unbeaten 95 against Desert Vipers in his previous match, was joined by Michael Pepper. Boult removed Pepper (5) and Sam Hain (0), both of whom edged to wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran. He also went on to get Gous, caught by Dwayne Bravo at mid-on for 3. Hosein uprooted Laurie Evans off stump for 1. Imad Wasim and Andre Russell pushed the score to 47 before Wasim became the sixth wicket to fall, caught by Bravo at slip off Fazalhaq Farooqi for 7. In the 10th over, Ravi Bopara played Muhammad Rohid on to his wicket for a duck. Rohid also had David Willley caught by David at mid-on for a duck. At the half way mark, Abu Dhabi was tottering at 53 for 8. Skipper Narine, who joined Andre Russell, lasted just five balls to score one run before hitting high to Boult at mid-off. Russell though kept the scoreboard moving through some big hits. He smashed Rohid for two sixes in the 14th over and put on 36 runs in 16 balls with last man Josh Little.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: National Bank's Asjad Iqbal won the NBP 48th National Snooker Championship in a sensational final played at the Snooker Arena of the NBP Sports Complex., after a nerve-wracking 6-hour battle, Asjad overcame Owais Munirullah of Punjab by 7-6. National Bank Acting President Abdul Wahid Sethi presented the trophy and prize money of two lakh rupees to Asjad Iqbal, the winner of the National Snooker Championship, and one lakh rupees to the runner-up Awaisullah Munir, while Babar Masih was given a prize money of 25 thousand rupees for playing a break of 142.On this occasion, Pakistan Billiard and Snooker Association Chairman Alamgir Sheikh, Secretary Zulfiqar Ramzi, SVP Mudassar Inamullah, Kamran Khalid, VPNBP and Section Head Sports Afshan Shakeel, Farhan Rafiq, Yasir Jamal, Atif Ali Qasmi, Mohammad Azmat and others were also present.According to tournament director, Naveed Kapadia, the frame score of winner Asjad Iqbal's victory was 5-80, 99-14, 64-45, 64-08, 18-69, 42-64, 55-75, 42-55, 67-00, 71-21, 77-18, 48-92 and 55-40. Asjad Iqbal scored 72 in the second frame and 63 in the ninth frame, while Owais Munirullah scored 61 in the first frame and 92 in the twelfth frame.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Charles virtually carried his team on his shoulders with a 71 runs partnership in 51 balls for the fourth wicket with Lewis Gregory (16), and a 29-run stand with UAE’s Basil Hameed for the fifth wicket. Though Charles got out when Warriors needed 27 runs off 23 balls, Hameed, through an unbeaten 24, and Daniel Sams (16n.o), carried their team to the victory with seven balls to spare. Capitals’ medium pacer Dushmantha Chameera picked four out of the five wickets that fell for 28 runs, but his efforts went in vain. Capitals were put into bat, but they posted a fighting total of 170 for 7 in 20 overs. Sam Billings top scored with 52 runs off 32 balls with four sixes and one boundary while Sikandar Raza’s hit 48 runs off 23 balls with three boundaries and three sixes. Together they put on 81 runs for the fourth wicket off 44 balls after their team got off to a slow start scoring just 38 runs in the powerplay. In pursuit of their target of 171 runs, Warriors brought in opener Martin Guptill as the super- sub in place of Dilshan Madushanka, but he got run out for 2.Skipper and opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore then edged Dushmantha Chameera to wicketkeeper Gurbaz for 3. Niroshan Dickwella, who put on 25 runs in 12 balls with Charles, got out to Chameera for 7. By the end of the powerplay, Charles ensured that Warriors was strongly placed at 60 for 3 by scoring 42 off those runs. He raced to his half century in 26 balls. In the last ten overs, Warriors needed 79 runs. Chameera picked his third wicket clean bowling Gregory in the 13th over for 16. Hameed and Sams then carried their team to the target.  

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Monday announced a five-member team for The Davis Cup Tennis Tie, which will be played against traditional foes India on February 3 and 4, 2024 here at Grass Courts of Pakistan Sports Complex.Names of Pakistani players: Muzammil Murtaza, Aisam ul Haq Qureshi, Aqeel Khan, Mohammad Shoaib, BarkatullahOfficials: Mohammad Abid (non-playing captain).Names of Indian players: Regards, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Shriram Balaji, Yuki Bhambri, Saketh Myneni, Niki Poonacha, S D Prajwal Dev (reserve)Officials: Rohit Rajpal (Captain), Zeeshan Ali (Coach), Debashish Das & Anand Kumar (Physios), Anil Dhupar (Manager), Sunil Yajaman (Coordinator). 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): South Africa’s wicketkeeper batter, Andries Gous played an unbeaten 95 runs innings to lead Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to a sensational win against Desert Vipers in the third match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium.Gous’ knock off 50 balls studded with five boundaries and seven sixes enthralled the large Sunday crowd and his team owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. His 85 runs partnership in 47 balls for the second wicket along with Michael-Kyle Pepper (36), and his 71 runs stand in 43 balls for the fourth wicket with Laurie Evans (21) ensured his team an easy six-wicket win with 14 balls to spare. Earlier, Knight Riders restricted Desert Vipers to a gettable 164 for 8 through some tight bowling led by their skipper Sunil Narine (2 for 23) and Ali Khan’s fine death-over spell bagging 3 for 29. Adam Hose top scored with 45 runs off 30 balls after his skipper Colin Munro hit a quick 22 in 12 balls. Vipers may not have crossed the 150 mark but for Wanindu Hasaranga (24) and Hose’s 57 runs partnership off 40 balls for the fourth wicket. Knight Riders skipper Sunil Narine won the toss and elected to bowl. Since his team had finished at the bottom of the points table in the first edition, he hoped that the new faces in his team would bring them luck this time. Colin Munro, skipper of Vipers that finished as runners-up last season hoped that even if the toss was lost, it was important to bat well and adapt accordingly. He then opened the innings along with Alex Hales.  Munro even gave a positive start by hitting David Willey for a boundary in the first over and a six and a boundary off Imad Wasim in the second over. Hales began to open up with two consecutive boundaries off Willey but fell to the third ball of the third over, caught by Wasim at covers for 11. Joshua Little took the big wicket of Munro, who pulled him straight into the hands of Laurie Evans for 22.  One-drop batter Daniel Lawrence, who attempted a slog sweep, landed up hitting Wasim high to wicketkeeper Andries Gous for 19. All eyes turned towards Sri Lanka’s Hasaranga, who joined Hose. He went on to slog sweep Wasim for a six in the 10thover. At the half way stage, Vipers were nine short of the 100-run mark.When runs were hard to get, Hose hit Little for a six and two consecutive boundaries in the 12th over. In the 14thover, Ali Khan struck to remove Hose for 45, caught behind while attempting a reverse hit. Hose had put on 57 runs off 40 balls for the fourth wicket with Hasaranga. Narine struck in the 15th over removing Hasaranga caught at deep-midwicket by Willey for 24 and Sherfane Rutherford caught and bowled for a duck. With only five overs to go, Vipers were struggling at 127 for 6. Ali Khan bowled another brilliant over giving away just four runs. Bas de Leede and Rohan Mustafa steered the score past the 150-run mark before de Leede fell to the accurate Ali Khan for 14. Ali Khan also clean bowled Mohammad Amir for 4 for his third wicket. In the end, Mustafa remained unbeaten with a run-a-ball 13. Knight Riders began their chase by losing UAE’s young opener Alishan Sharafu who pulled Sheldon Cottrell and top edged to Tymal Mills at backward point for 1. One-drop Pepper, who joined opener Gous, began by hitting Mohammad Amir for two consecutive boundaries. Gous then went on to hit Cottrell for two sixes in the fourth over.  Twenty runs were scored off that Cottrell’s over. Pepper strengthened Knight Riders’ chase hitting De Leede for three consecutive boundaries in the eighth over and taking 22 runs off the over. Mills provided the breakthrough in the 10th over by having Pepper caught by Munro at extra cover for 36. Pepper and Gous had put on 85 runs in 47 balls for the second wicket. With ten overs to go, Knight Riders needed 74 runs. Sam Hains lasted only five balls before getting clean bowled to Lawrence for 1. Gous reached his half century in 28 balls lifting Mustafa for a six over deep mid-wicket. He went on to hit Hasaranga for two consecutive boundaries and a six in the 13th over to make it a run-a-ball target for his team. Laurie Evans ensured more strike was taken by his aggressive partner Gous, and together they put their team on the road to an easy victory. They put on 71 runs in 43 balls for the fourth wicket before Evans fell to Mills, caught by Hose at long-on for 21. By then, only three runs were needed to win. Imad Wasim hit the winning boundary as Gous remained unbeaten five runs short of a century. 

Asjad Iqbal, Mohammad Naseem, Sohail Shehzad, and Awais Munair reach in semifinalsSports Bulletin Report KARACHI: Asjad Iqbal (NBP), Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (Punjab), Sohail Shehzad (Sindh), and Awais Ullah Munair (Punjab) moved into the semifinals of the ongoing 48th NBP National Snooker Championship after winning their respective quarterfinals here at the Snooker Arena of NBP Sports Complex on Sunday.I n the first quarter final, Asjad Iqbal of National Bank defeated Punjab’s Shahid Aftab 5-4 after a tough competition. The frame score of his victory was 58-26, 0-81, 28-70, 39-68, 71-42, 68-30, 58- 71, 77-42 and 68-37. In the second quarter-final, Naseem Akhtar of Punjab beat the former world champion Ahsan Ramzan of Punjab by 5-3. The frame score of his victory was 1-72, 8- 71, 74-01, 68-58, 58-07, 57-39, 50-74 and 87-24. In the penultimate quarterfinal, Sindh's Sohail Shehzad outplayed number two seed Islamabad's Shan Namat by 5-3 and reached in semi-final. Sohail Shehzad's winning frame score was 69-14, 77-30, 13-65, 82-04, 71-02, 32-99, 48-52 and 64-17. Shan Namat played a break of 99 in the sixth frame.In the fourth and last quarter-final, Owaisullah Munir of Punjab made a brilliant comeback despite losing the first four frames beat Abdul Javed of Islamabad by 5-4 and paved the way for the semi-final. Owaisullah Munir’s winning frame scores was 30-68, 0-96, 1-89, 12-70, 78-07, 98-01, 66-40, 67-0 and 76-53.National Bank's Asjad Iqbal will face Punjab's Naseem Akhtar in the first semifinal and Sindh's Sohail Shahzad will face Punjab's Owaisullah Munir in the second semi-final.Results (Quarterfinals):Asjad Iqbal (NBP) beat Shahid Aftab (PB) 5-4 (58-26, 0-81 (81), 28-70, 39-68, 71-42, 68-30 (66), 58-71, 77-42 (69), 68-37)Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (PB) beat Ahsan Ramzan (PB) 5-3 (1-72, 8-71,74-01, 68-58, 58-07, 57-39, 50-74 (73), 87-24)Sohail Shehzad (Sindh) beat Shan Namat (Isb) 5-3 (69-14 (64), 77-30 (54), 13-65, 82-04 (55), 71-02, 32-99 (99), 48-52, 64-17)Awais Ullah Munair (PB) beat Abdul Javed (Isb) 5-4 (30-68 (63), 0-96 (90), 1-89 (89), 12-70, 78-07, 98-01 (62), 66-40, 67-0 (66), 76-53).Schedule (Semifinals):Asjad Iqbal (NBP) v Mohammad Naseem Akhtar (PB)Sohail Shehzad (Sindh) v Awais Ullah Munair (PB),

 Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Raja Mikaeel Sami showcased extraordinary skill, guiding Barry's Polo to a remarkable 10-8 title triumph over Rijas Polo/Master Paints in the Battle Axe Polo Cup final played here at the Jinnah Polo Fields on Sunday.The hero of the match, Raja Mikaeel Sami, demonstrated exceptional prowess as he expertly maneuvered the polo pony and mallet, scoring an impressive seven goals. His teammates, Raja Jalal Arslan and Saim Abbas, added two and one goal respectively to secure the title for their team. On the opposing side, Amirreza Behboudi from Rijas/Master Paints made a noteworthy contribution with five fabulous goals, while Bilal Hayat Noon scored a brace, and Sufi Haroon struck one goal. The final commenced with Rijas Polo/Master Paints initially asserting dominance, securing a 3-1 lead by scoring three consecutive goals against Barry’s one goal. The second chukker witnessed a stark reversal, as Barry’s, starting with a goal, made a remarkable comeback by thrashing in three consecutive goals, leveling the score at 4-4. In the third chukker, Rijas Polo/Master Paints showcased superior polo skills, converting three goals compared to Barry’s two, gaining a slight 7-6 lead. As the match entered the decisive fourth chukker, Rijas Polo/Master Paints seemed poised to secure the title. However, Barry’s displayed an outstanding polo performance, scoring four fabulous goals against Rijas Polo/Master Paints, ultimately clinching the title with a 10-8 victory. Santiago Loza and Juan Cruz Greguol officiated as field umpires. The final was graced by the presence of Mohammad Asim Butt, CEO of Rachna Group, who served as the chief guest and distributed prizes among the winners and top performers, adding prestige to the occasion. Major Ali Taimur (retd), Secretary of Jinnah Polo Fields, and a gathering of polo players and their families also attended the grand finale. Earlier in the subsidiary final, FG/Din Polo secured a 7-4 victory over DS Polo. Mian Abbas Mukhtar led the scoring with three goals, supported by two goals from Juan Cruz Greguol, and one goal each from Agha Musa and Sheikh Mohammad Rafi. Bilal Haye from DS Polo responded with a brace, while Ahmed Ali Tiwana and Abdul Rehman Monnoo contributed one goal each.  

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: A stylish player from Lahore, Ahmed Baig has won the title of the 13th Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf Tournament 2024 that concluded here at the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) on Sunday.Ahmed Baig, who led the tournament from day one, demonstrated exceptional skill, firing a gross score of 275, finishing under 13, and securing the coveted trophy. Mohammad Zubair from KGC claimed the runner-up position with an impressive six under par.In the seniors’ professionals’ category, Nisar Hussain claimed the trophy, with Mohammad Siddique and Mohammad Tariq securing the second positions jointly. Mohammad Sahil and Umar Shahzad clinched the first and second positions, respectively, in the junior professional category. A highlight of the tournament was Zubair Hussain from PAF achieving a remarkable Hole-In-One on the second day. Using a 5 Iron on the Red Course's 7th Hole, a Par 3 at KGC with a distance of 210 Yards, Zubair's skillful shot earned him acclaim and a brand-new Toyota Corolla car. Another car for the hole-in-one winner in the Local KGC Category remained unclaimed. The 13rd edition of Rashid D. Habib Memorial Golf Tournament featured a two-day match for local KGC Professionals, Senior Professionals, and KGC Caddies, held on January 16th and 17th, 2024. In the Caddies category, Shahid Malik scored 154, 10 over par, to claim the trophy for 2024. Mohammad Javed and Kamran Zahoor were the runner-ups with 157, 13 over par. Ashiq Naz led the KGC Senior Professional Category with six over par, and M. Iqbal secured the second position. In the KGC Professionals category, M. Nawaz grabbed the trophy with Ali Sher as the runner-up. Top professionals, including Mohammad Shabbir, Ahmed Baig, Mohammad Munir, and Minhaj Maqsood Waraich, received an appearance fee of PKR 100,000 each. Additionally, PKR 150,000 was equally distributed among the top senior professionals, including Mohammad Tariq, Nisar Hussain, and Mohammad Akram. Chief Guest, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf NI (M), T BT, and Bank AL Habib’s Chairman, Abbas D Habib, distributed prizes amongst the winners. Admiral Naveed Ashraf commended the efforts of Bank AL Habib and KGC in hosting this popular golf event, expressing appreciation for the delightful weather in Karachi for golf.  

Gurbaz (81 off 39 balls), Jake Fraser-McGurk (54 off 25 balls) star in Dubai Capitals’ victorySports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Dubai Capitals outclassed MI Emirates by 7 wickets in the second match of the ILt20, as duo stars Gurbaz (81 off 39 balls), and Jake Fraser-McGurk (54 off 25 balls) guided their team to a comprehensive win here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday night.Emirates after getting off to a good start, slipped from a strong 79 for 1 in seven overs to 140 for 8 by the 19th over. Big hits from Tim David (27) took the score past the 150 run mark, but the architect of their fine start was UAE’s Muhammad Waseem who cracked 51 runs off 26 balls with four sixes and two boundaries. He was backed by Andre Fletcher (30) and Nicholas Pooran (21). Sikandar Raza was responsible to put the brakes on Emirates taking three wickets for 21 backed by Jason Holder (3 for 34).After the win, David Warner remarked that the energy in his team’s camp helped. “I enjoy leadership. There is great energy in our camp and that helps.” On Gurbaz and Fraser's knocks, Warner said: “These two guys come with clear minds and are at the peak of their game right now.” He then went on to appreciate Trent Boult for the delivery that got him out. “I have had a lot of good battles against Boult. This is the first time I am seeing the ball swing so much here after a long time.”MI Emirates skipper Pooran admitted that his team did not play smart cricket. “We kept losing wickets and should have played smart. All credit to Dubai Capitals, they bowled well. We thought we had a chance with 160, but surely it wasn't enough. We knew batting first was going to be tricky. We just weren't good enough. We fell short of runs. But Fraser and Gurbaz batted well.”Dubai Capitals' skipper Warner won the toss and elected to bowl stating that the wicket looked good and his team would chase the runs down. Emirates skipper Pooran too remarked that his team would have loved to bowl first, but they need to adapt to conditions and be competitive.England’s Will Smeed, opening the Emirates innings with UAE’s Mohammad Waseem, hit the first boundary of the day square driving Dushmantha Chameera. Jason Holder struck in the second over having Smeed brilliantly caught by a leaping Sam Billings at slips for 5. This brought in Andre Fletcher. Waseem got off the mark hitting Chameera over his head for a boundary. He also hit the first six of the match lifting Roelof van der Merwe over long on, and took 18 runs off that over with two boundaries.Fletcher opened up from the fifth over when he hit Paul van Meekeren for two boundaries and a six to take the score past the 50 run mark. Holder, who was re-introduced for the sixth over, was hit for 21 runs, which included sixes from Waseem and Fletcher.Akif Raja bowled the seventh over to end Fletcher’s knock forcing him to hit high to Powell at long-on for 30. His 18-ball knock had three boundaries and two sixes. He put on 72 runs in 34 balls with Waseem for the second wicket. Waseem reached his half century in 24 balls, and together with his captain Pooran, took the score past the 100 run mark.Raza ended Waseem’s fine knock forcing him to lift to Holder at long-off for 51. His knock off 26 balls had two boundaries and four sixes. Raza also struck to remove Ambati Rayudu, caught and bowled for 1.The flow of runs however reduced from the 10th over with Van Meekeren yielding only six runs. Raza gave away just three runs and Akif Raja gave away only four runs. Raza then went on to bowl Pooran for 21 in the 14th over. With half the side back in the dug-out for 120, MI Emirates struggled for runs. Van der Merwe had Corey Anderson caught by Billing at deep-midwicket for 1.Holder went on to trap Dwayne Bravo leg before for 2 and also had Akeal Hosen caught by Billings at long-on for 7. Tim David hit Chameera for two consecutive sixes in the last over and took the score past the 150-run mark. He got out to the fifth ball caught by Holder at long off for 27. Capitals began their chase through David Warner, who was cheered all the way to the crease by the crowd, along with Gurbaz. Boult would have got Gurbaz out for a duck to the third ball had he not dropped the return catch. Fazalhaq Farooqi, who was brought in as a super-sub in place of Rayudu, bowled the second over and Gurbaz celebrated his luck hitting him for a six over long-on.The first to go was Warner to a fine delivery from Boult that took the outside edge and flew into the hands of Zahoor Khan for 1. Fraser, who came in as super-sub for Paul Meekran, went for his shots and hit Akeal Hosein for a six and two boundaries. He also smashed Farooqi for a well-timed boundary and another six over long-leg. Delhi Capitals' 50 runs came in five overs. Gurbaz was severe on Zahoor Khan hitting him for three consecutive boundaries in the sixth over while Fraser hit Hosein for two successive sixes in the seventh. Fraser reached his half century in 21 balls and Capitals went past the 100-run mark in 8.5 overs. Gurbaz too reached his half century in 26 balls. So severe was the onslaught of this pair that their 100 runs partnership came in 44 balls.By the halfway mark, Capitals needed only 38 runs. Fraser got out to Boult in the 11th over, caught at long-off by Anderson for 54. Gurbaz too got out but after hitting 81 runs, brilliantly caught by Waseem at deep mid-wicket off Farooqi. Sam Billings and Rovman Powell then steered their team to the target in 16 overs.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Three teenager tennis players, Hamza Roman, Mikaeel Biag, Abubakar Talha, have been selected for the Pakistan Under-16 Boys’ team for the Pre-Qualifying Event of the Aisa /Oceana Davis Cup Under-16 Junior fixture, which will be played from February 19 to 24, 2024 in Sri Lanka.According to an official of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), the players have been picked-up after conducting trials at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex. Hamza Roman, Mikaeel Biag, and Abubakar Talha produced acceptable performance during the trials.