Sports Bulletin ReportMultan (September 11, 2023): The Punjab Badminton Championships have commenced here at Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall, as the Engineer Mohammad Aamir Khattak, Commissioner Multan, Division Multan inaugurated the championships. Also, Rana Nadeem Anjum Divisional Sports Officer Multan, Farooq Latif District Sports Officer Multan, and Sajid Hussain Joint Secretary of Punjab Badminton Association were present on this occasion.Results (Men’s Singles Round-I):Asad Aslam (Jhang) beat Hamza Latif (Bhakkar) by 21-14, 21-11Ahsan Ahmad (Sahiwal) beat Ahmad Niazi (Bhakkar) by 21-17, 21-17Mehboob Akram (Okara) beat Zubair (Vehari) by 22-20, 21-14Rehan Ali (Sargodha) beat Abdul Rehman (Kasur) by 21-18, 14-21, 21-12Mohammad Hanif (Jhang) beat Mohammad Asim (Multan) by 21-9, 21-12Abdul Muqeet (Lahore) beat Talha Nauman Yousaf (Bahawalnaghar) by 21-15, 21-12Hafiz Mohammad Sohaib (Multan) beat Rai Mohammad Zubair (Faisalabad) by 21-12, 21-9Sohaib Yaseen (Sargodha) beat Mohammad Faeez (Muzafargarh) by 21-10, 21-14Tanveer Shah (Mandi Bahaudin) beat Syed Hassan Raza (Mianwali) by 21-6, 21-8Zain Ali (Gujranwala) beat Janbaz (Multan) by 21-15, 17-21, 21-17Hafiz Usman (Faisalabad) beat Mohammad Ahtisham Hassan (Bahawalnaghar) 21-15, 21-11Ali Usman (Toba Tak Singh) beat Afaan Ahmad (Lahore) by 23-21, 21-9Usman Farooq (Sargodha) beat Umair Arshad (Vehari) by 21-9, 21-8Faisal Afzal Butt (Sialkot) beat Amir Shahbaz (Multan) by 21-16, 13-21, 21-10Hassan Aslam (Jhang) beat Zain Ul Abdin (Toba Tak Singh) by 21-13, 21-13Zain Mughal (Mandi Bhaudin) beat Salar Ayub (Rawalpindi) by 12-21, 21-9, 21-7Mamoon Siddique (Muzafargarh) beat Noman Rasheed (Rahim Yar Khan) by 21-19, 19-21, 21-16Mohammad Umar (Faisalabad) beat Mohammad Aslam (Lahore) by 21-8, 21-14Women’s Singles (Round-I):Azmat Firdaus (SWL) beat Anam Jahan (Layyah) by 21-4, 21-7Khadija Asim (Lahore) beat Hina Sarwar (Khanewal) by 21-12, 21-12Women’s Doubles (Round-I):Anam & Sumaira (Layyah) beat Minahil Amir & Hina Sarwar (Khanewal) by 21-19, 21-17Men’s Singles (Round-II):Shahzaib Shabbair (Faisalabad) beat Abdul Muqeet (Lahore) by 21-11, 21-11Mohammad Ibrahim (Multan) beat Mohammad Hanif (Jhang) by 21-11, 21-15Hafiz Mohammad Sohaib (Multan) beat Anayat Fareed (Sahiwal) by 21-7, 12-21, 21-19Ahmad Talat (Lahore) beat Mohammad Ahmad (Sargodha) by 21-16, 19-21, 21-13Faizan Asim (Lahorea) beat Maisam (Attaock) by 21-7, 21-5Mohammad Abdullah (Jhang) beat Faizan Ali (Gujrat) by 21-19, 21-10Rehan Ali (Sargodha) beat Shahab Hassan (Layyah) by 21-5, 21-8Ahtsham Ul Haq (Bahawalpur) beat Mehboob Akram (Okara) by 21-12, 16-21, 21-8Abdullah Asim (Lahore) beat Marib Tauqeer (Lahore) by 21-14, 21-7Mohammad Ibrahim (Attock) beat Ahsan Ahmad (Sahiwal) by 21-10, 21-8Abdul Manan (Lahore) beat Asad Aslam (Jhang) by 21-10, 21-18Anas Tariq (Multan) beat Awais Khan (Vehari) by 21-6, 21-11Mashood Ali (Lahore) beat Mohammad Hammad (Vehari) 21-5, 21-9Khuzaima Altaf (Multan) beat Mohammad Waqas (Sahiwal) by 21-4, 21-2Matches of Men’s Singles 2nd round are under progress and matches of men’s doubles 1st round will be played tonight.

Sports Bulletin ReportColombo, Sri Lanka (September 10, 2023): Pakistan Captain Babar Azam won the toss and decided to field first against traditional foes India in Asia Cup 2023 cricket match at R Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo Sri Lanka on Sunday.Pakistan are unchanged playing XIs, who had defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets on September 6 at home Qaddafi Stadium Lahore. Rohit Sharma is leading India in the crucial fixture of the tournament, which has an extra day to reach on result.Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen AfridiIndia (Playing XIs): Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaMatch Officials:Field Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SriLanka)TV Umpire: Richard Illingworth (England)Reserve Umpire: Masudur Rahman (Bangladesh)Match Referee: David Boon (Australia). 

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the 20 match officials for the League Round of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.Umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson share a laugh during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 05, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.Sixteen umpires will officiate the 13th edition of the tournament, including all 12 of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel, they are: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shaid, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.The experienced list includes three of the four umpires who were appointed for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 final at Lord’s - Dharmasena, Erasmus and Tucker – with only Aleem Dar missing, who stepped down from the Elite Panel in March of this year.The Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees is represented at the event by a quartet of former international cricketers, namely, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.Srinath will take charge of the tournament opener between the last event’s finalists, England and New Zealand on 5 October in Ahmedabad. Menon and Dharmasena will be the standing umpires, with Paul Wilson as TV umpire and Saikat taking on fourth umpire duties.The officials have been named for the entirety of the League segment, with the selections for the semi-finals and final of the tournament to be named in due course.Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager – Cricket, said: “To deliver an event of this magnitude you require high performing individuals at every level. The ICC Elite panel of umpires, referees, and emerging group of umpires involved will bring immense skills, experience and world class standards to this World Cup. We are delighted with the group that we have assembled for this tournament”.“The ICC Cricket Operations department takes great pride and effort in operating a robust and meritocratic selection procedure with the help of our Member Boards. Our competitive pathway system continues to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game. We are pleased that four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel have earned the opportunity to be part of this showcase event and we wish them, and all the other match officials involved all the very best for the tournament.”Sean Easey, ICC Manager – Umpires and Referees said: “We are pleased to announce the match officials who will be overseeing the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever. This group is the best from around the world and will be ready to perform a challenging job, with the eyes of the global cricketing community focussed on the event.“We are confident that they will do an excellent job and wish them all the best of luck for what promises to be a World Cup to remember.” 

Sports Bulletin ReportColombo, Sri Lanka (September 10, 2023): The Asia Cup 2023 cricket clash between India and Pakistan will spring into action at 2:30 Pakistan Standard Time (PST) at R Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo Sri Lanka, as the toss will be important for the both skipper. The winner will likely opt to bat first.Pakistan have announced the playing elevens unchanged, who had defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets on September 6 at home Qaddafi Stadium Lahore. Rohit Sharma will lead India in the crucial fixture of the tournament, which has an extra day to reach on result.Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen AfridiIndia Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

Sports Bulletin ReportColombo, Sri Lanka (September 10, 2023): Favorite Pakistan and India will meet in the afternoon in the Top-Four Round of the Asia Cricket Cup 2023 today at R Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo Sri Lanka.Pakistan have announced the playing elevens unchanged, who had defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets on September 6 at home Qaddafi Stadium Lahore. Rohit Sharma will lead India in the crucial fixture of the tournament, which has an extra day to reach on result.Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen AfridiIndia Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Saturday announced that the 67th National Hockey Championship would be held at the Lt. General Ashfaq Nadeem Hockey Stadium, Ayub Park, Rawalpindi from October 12 to 23, 2023.According to an official, the tournament will be conducted in collaboration with the Army Welfare Trust (AWT). Hockey top national event will feature the participation of affiliated provincial units and departmental teams associated with the PHF. This significant event is being organized under the joint venture of the PHF and the Army Welfare Trust.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Tennis star, Aisam Qureshi pairing with his Dutch partner Sanders Arend have reached the final of the TED Open ATP Challenger World Tennis Championship after beating their duo of opponents in Istanbul Turkey on Saturday.According to available information from abroad, Aisam Qureshi and Dutch lad Sanders Arend overcame the Indian, and Australian duo of Jeevan Needunchzhiyan and John Patrick Smith after a well-contested three-set match. The final score-line was 6-4, 5-7, and 11-9, as the match lasted over two hours.Earlier in the quarterfinal, they outclassed an all-Dutch team of Jesper de Jong and Mats Hermans in straight sets 2-0 with the score-line of 6-4, and 7-6. They also defeated Israeli pair Daniel Cukeirman and Joshua Paris 2-1. The final score-line was 3-6, 6-3, 11-9.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The 2023-2024 domestic season is set to commence on 10 September with both the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the Hanif Mohammad Trophy to be played concurrently. A total of 18 regional teams have been slotted in this domestic structure with eight teams playing in the premier first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and 10 teams featuring in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a non-first-class four-day tournament. This will be the first domestic season played after the PCB revived the PCB 2014 Constitution according to which regional and departmental teams return to the domestic circuit.Abbottabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi will be hosting the QeAT, with 29 matches slotted between four venues across the three cities. Peshawar, Karachi Whites, Lahore Blues, Rawalpindi, FATA, Multan, Lahore Whites, and Faisalabad are the teams playing first-class cricket. The opening round of the QeAT will begin on 10 September. Lahore Whites will be facing Lahore Blues at Gaddafi Stadium, while Peshawar and Karachi Whites will be facing each other at Abbottabad Stadium. Faisalabad vs. Multan will be held at Shoaib Akhtar Stadium in Rawalpindi while FATA vs Rawalpindi will be staged at Pindi Cricket Stadium. The second round of matches will begin on 16 September. A total of seven rounds will take place with each team playing the other once before the top two sides meet in the final scheduled at the Gaddafi Stadium from 22 to 26 October.With the revamped domestic structure, the new financial model will also be implemented. According to this, a player featuring in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will get a match fee of PKR 80,000, and players participating in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will get PKR 40,000 per game. The non-playing members of a first-class team will get PKR 40,000. Adding to that, twenty players, selected by the regions according to the predefined criteria, will be assigned categories as outlined; A+ will get PKR 300,000, A PKR 200,000, B PKR 185,000, C PKR 170,000, D PKR 150,000, E PKR 100,000, F will pocket PKR 50,000. Hanif Mohammad TrophyThe Hanif Mohammad Trophy will have 26 matches, with the 10 teams divided into two groups. The ten teams featuring in the tournament are Abbottabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bahawalpur, Dera Murad Jamali, Hyderabad, Karachi Blues, Larkana, Quetta, Sialkot and Islamabad. The tournament will see the top two sides from each group at the end of the group stage qualify for the Super 4 stage, where each team in that stage will play three matches. At the end of the Super 4 stage, the top side will qualify for next year's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The first round of matches will be played between Islamabad and AJK in Muzaffarabad and Larkana and Sialkot in Mirpur for Group A.For Group B, the first round of matches will be played between Hyderabad and Karachi Blues in Multan and Bahawalpur and Dera Murad Jamali in Rahim Yar Khan. The aim of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will be to serve as a pathway for the regional sides to qualify for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. This domestic structure has been structured by the PCB Cricket Technical Committee. The structure has replaced the previous model, that was introduced in 2019 – which focused on six cricket association teams. The new domestic structure incorporates a larger pool of players with up to 360 cricketers set to benefit from increased earning opportunities.The previous edition of the QeAT was won by Northern, led by captain Umar Amin. Northern had defeated Sindh in the final at Gaddafi Stadium by an innings and 55 runs. Northern’s dominance in the season was highlighted by the way players like Muhammad Huraira and Mubasir Khan headlined the season. Sindh’s bowler Abrar Ahmed too had an extraordinary season, bagging 43 wickets in 12 innings.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan number one tennis player, Aqeel Khan has won the Men’s Singles title of the Captain Mohammad Fahad Khan Shaheed Tennis tournament after beating Barkatullah in straight sets 2-0 in the final here at the Institute of Space Technology University (ISTU) on Friday.Aqeel Khan from WAPDA outclassed Pakistan number 6 Barkatullah from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Police by conceding just three games in both sets. The final score-line was 6-3, and 6-3.Earlier, in 60+ single final, Inam-ul-Haq defeated Faisal Ahmad 2-0 with the score-line of 6-1, and 6-2. Meanwhile, in 45+ double Inam ul Haq and col. Ziauddin Tufail beat Kashif Ali and Haider Khan with the score-line of 6-3, 6-2. Major General (Retd) Rehan Abdul Baqi vice chancellor ISTU graced the closing ceremony as chief guest and gave away prizes to the winners. 

PTF President Waseem Janjua welcomes ATF General Assembly's decisionSports Bulletin ReportBeirut (Lebanon): Pakistan will host 5th Asian Open Taekwondo Championship 2023 in Islamabad, as the Executive Office and General Assembly of the Asian Taekwondo Federation (ATF) awarded this prestigious fixture to Pakistan in the meeting, which took place in Beirut, Lebanon. Delegates from 30 Asian countries participated in the general assembly chaired by AFC President Kyu Seok Lee. President, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), Mohammad Waseem Janjua and Secretary General Murtaza Bangash represented Pakistan in the meeting.On this occasion, AFC President Lee Kyu Seok announced the hosting of the 5th COMBAXX Asian Open Taekwondo Championship in Pakistan. Assuring full support to the PTF for the championship, Prof. Kyu Seok Lee said that the 4th Asian Open Taekwondo Championship was successfully organized in Pakistan last year under the auspices of PTF. “I am looking forward to seeing the talent of Pakistani taekwondo players”, he added. PTF President Janjua said: “The hosting of the Asian Championship is an honour for Pakistan. I thanked AFC President Lee Kyu Seok and other officials for awarding this international event. Asian Championship will be held in November this year in Islamabad and it will be attended by top-class taekwondo players from around the world.”