Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka put their first points on board in Harare at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers while Bangladesh made it two wins out of two. WEST INDIES BEAT IRELAND BY 6 WICKETS Put in to bat first by West Indies, openers Leah Paul and Gaby Lewis started well for Ireland. With the Windies bowlers bowling tight lines, Paul and Lewis had to pick and choose their moments to attack. The two put on a 79-run stand for the first wicket before Anisa Mohammed struck to remove Lewis. The wicket of Lewis triggered a massive collapse. Amy Hunter was run-out off the very next delivery without facing a ball. Mohammed next scalped Paul (25) as Ireland lost three wickets in a span of eight deliveries. Hayley Matthews then got in the act and removed Laura Delany and Orla Prendergast in the same over. Eimear Richardson (32) helped Ireland go past the 150-run mark but she did not find enough support at the other end, with only Mary Waldron getting to double digits. Chasing 159, the Windies openers knocked off 61 of those runs inside 13 overs. Though Rashada Williams was not at her best in her 34-ball 8, Deandra Dottin was on song, bringing up her fifty in just 47 balls. Eimear Richardson eventually picked Dottin's wicket for 73 but the damage was already done by then. Stafanie Taylor's unbeaten 41 guided West Indies to a win with more than 10 overs to spare. SRI LANKA BEAT NETHERLANDS BY 34 RUNS (DLS METHOD) Sri Lankan openers got the team off to a flier after being asked to bat first by the Netherlands. The 93-run partnership came in just 13.4 overs with Hasini Perera contributing only 26 from 43 balls. At the other end, Chamari Athapaththu went absolutely berserk, with the fall of wickets of Perera and Prasadani Weerakkody making no difference to her approach. She brought up her hundred in just 64 balls. Caroline de Lange eventually brought an end to the whirlwind innings, claiming her third wicket of the day before picking another one her very next over. Nilakshi de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani steadied the ship after the two quick wickets. Oshadi Ranasinghe's stuck around the tail, taking Sri Lanka to 278/9 in 50 overs. Netherlands lost Juliët Post early on with Udeshika Prabodhani hitting timber in the third over. Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalis stuck in after the early wicket, mixing caution with aggression en route their respective fifties. The duo posted 141 runs for the second wicket before Athapaththu, the star with the bat, broke through for Sri Lanka will the ball, dismissing de Leede for 77. The wicket triggered a mini-collapse as the Netherlands lost their next four wickets for just 21 runs, including the set batter Kalis. Rain interruptions in the game meant that the Netherlands fell short by 34 runs. BANGLADESH BEAT BANGLADESH BY 269 RUNS Coming into game after a stunning final over win over Pakistan, Murshida Khatun and Sharmin Akhter got Bangladesh off to a quick start, stringing a run-a-ball 96 run partnership. Khatun fell three runs short of a fifty but captain Nigar Sultana's 26-ball 33 ensured Bangladesh don't lose momentum after the wicket. Fargana Hoque and Sharmin Akhter then put on 137 runs for the third wicket, during the course of which the latter brought up her century in 117 balls. USA picked up three wickets in quick succession, with Moksha Chaudhary accounting for two of those but Akhter and Lata Mondal finished strong for Bangladesh to take them to 322/5. USA's chase of 323 got off to a poor start, with opener Mahika Kandanala run out in the second over and were soon three down inside the Powerplay. Rumana Ahmed picked up the wickets skipper Sindhu Sriharsha and Shebani Bhaskar while Khatun dismissed Isani Vaghela as USA found themselves stuttering at 26/6. Tara Norris' knock of 16, which was one of the two double-digit scores in the USA's innings, only delayed the inevitable. Once she fell, the USA were bundled out for 53, giving Bangladesh their second win of the tournament by a massive margin of 269 runs.   PAKISTAN BEAT THAILAND BY 52 RUNS Opting to bat first, Pakistan lost their opener Muneeba Ali early in the 7th over. Omaima Sohail and Iram Javed's stay at the crease did not last long either, with both the batters walking back in consecutive overs. Captain Javeria Khan and Nida Dar consolidated the innings with a 38-run stand that came in 72 balls. Once Dar fell, Khan and Aliya Riaz put on a 29-run partnership that took Pakistan past the 100-run mark but at a very slow pace. Thipatcha Putthawong scalped the wicket of Khan soon after. Putthawong then cleaned up the tail, picking up the wickets of Fatima Sana, Diana Baig and Anam Amin to complete her five-for. She finished with figures of 9-3-18-5. Defending just 146 runs for the win, Pakistan needed early wickets and their bowlers did just that. Natthakan Chantham and Wongpaka Liengprasert were back in the hut for a duck inside the first four overs. Onnicha Kamchomphu counter-attacked with a 15-ball 16 but Nida Dar scalped her wicket before she could do more damage. Just when a partnership was building between Sornnarin Tippoch and captain Naruemol Chaiwai, a change of ends for Dar proved to be successful as she broke the stand. Chaiwai's run-out few overs later meant Thailand had lost half their side for 52. There was no coming back from that position for Thailand, despite Nattaya Boochatham offering some resistance with a 50-ball 18. With the pressure of the required run rate building, Thailand's lower order fell apart as Pakistan skittled them out for 93 to get their first points on board.

Lausanne, Switzerland (Sports Report):-Less than 24 hours before the start of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, let's hear what all head coaches have to say. India – Graham Reid “Every coach who comes to an event as important as the Junior World Cup likes to think that they will be there at the end of the tournament. Certainly, our objective is to make that final game. To put ourselves in that category we first need to win the first three games in our Pool. So, we will be taking each game as it comes. That’s the first objective. After that, obviously if we end up in the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals, we’ll go from there. But certainly, we aim to be there at the end. Netherlands – Michiel van der Struijk “We’re very happy to be here in India. We already experienced a very warm welcome at the airport, so thanks a lot for that! It’s really good that we finally can compete with the other teams in this tournament. It’s very good for the players’ experience to play other cultures. It’s also good for their education so that they can finally join the national Men’s team, which is what they’re all looking for. Therefore, it’s also important that we learn a lot here. And of course, we want to win the tournament! Canada – Indy Sehmbi “We want to go and play our best hockey game. We know that we can play with every international team. It’s about getting consistent efforts from our group. At the Junior level, you don’t get as many games, so you don’t get a chance to test yourself as much, so for us here, it’s just about us going to play our best game and see how we go against some of the best teams in the world. I think the Junior World Cup is now considered a major event on the FIH calendar. It’s huge for our young athletes. Playing in India is amazing. We love the environment. This is such a professional environment for our athletes Poland – Jacek Adrian “For my players and for my team, this event is a good opportunity to play with the best hockey teams in the world. Our ambition is to play good hockey. We’ll try to do our best during this tournament. USA – Pat Harris “Being at the Junior World Cup is obviously a huge step for USA field hockey and in particular our junior team, so we are delighted to be here. I know the boys are excited at the opportunity to develop and see what the world’s best are doing and then, hopefully, over time, we can close that gap and, in the future, compete with the top teams. To all the fans at home just want to say thank you for the support. Without you, it would be difficult to be here, so thank you and ‘go USA.” South Africa – Sihle Ntuli “Firstly, we are really excited to be here and looking forward to competing. That is our objective for the tournament. The South African team’s highest finish was 10th at the last Junior World Cup so our objective is to finish in the top eight to get a quarter-final and, from there, we will take it one game at a time. The first thing is that I am super-excited for the boys to play at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. For me it is an experience for the players and already they are enjoying it, so it is a good two weeks in India. Message for our fans back home is that it is really unfortunate, due to the circumstances around Covid, that they haven’t been able to travel to with us, especially the parents. But the messages on social media have been very encouraging to the boys, so keep it up and hopefully we will make you and the nation proud.” Germany – Valentin Altenburg “We came here to Bhubaneswar with the ambition to play successful and attractive. Especially after these difficult two COVID years, my team and I are very thankful and even more motivated than ever before to compete against the friends from around the world. I believe every minute on the pitch in the next couple of weeks will make my team a better team. Also, getting to know this fascinating Indian culture will let my players grow as people of the world. Pakistan – Danish Kaleem “Due to Covid, we couldn’t expose our boys to international hockey but even in these trying circumstances, we will try our level best to perform in this event and we will try to reach the podium. The boys are very excited to play in a World Cup, it is the vision of any player to compete in this sort of tournament. There are 16 teams competing in this event so not only will they play hockey but they will learn from watching these 16 nations. We will play good hockey and we will try to surprise the others and we hope they will send us good wishes and that they will pray for our victory. Follow us on Watch.Hockey!” Korea – Kim Jongyi “We are aiming for the quarter-final – we will do our best. It is important to beat our rivals for the future of Korean hockey. Spain – Alejandro Siri “Our objective is to reach the first positions of the group so that we then play for the first eight positions of the tournament. Then, we aim to go as high as we can in the competition. For our players this is a very big tournament, so they are very excited to be here. Belgium – Jeroen Baart “In terms of ambitions, I think it’s clear that we all want to compete with the best. Last time [in 2016] we went to the final, so all the boys have ambitions to go very far. Let’s start with the pool games and afterwards we’ll see game-by-game. Argentina – Lucas Rey “Our mission as a team is to have a good performance during the whole tournament. It is very important. It is the most beautiful tournament under-21 to play, so we hope they [the players] can enjoy it. Cheer for us, support us! We will try to give our best to reach the top position that we can.” France – Aymeric Bergamo “Our mission is to play each match to the best of our ability, and for that we need a lot of mental strength. We want our hockey team to get out of the group stages and, if we succeed, we will do everything in our power to continue. My squad is particularly young and, for the most part, they don’t have any experience of high-level competition like this one. But the magic of playing hockey in India has been beneficial for French teams in the past, and this group wants to succeed together as a team. We are going to do everything we can to make you [the fans] proud, to go as far as we can in this competition. Your energy is very important to us, so please continue to support us. Chile – Alejandro Gomez “Our ambition is to grow as a team and to make the most of this opportunity, which Chilean hockey doesn’t get so often. Our objective is to reach the highest possible position in this tournament. Our players are enjoying being here in India, playing in this stadium which is unique. I don’t know if we’ll have another occasion to come back here, therefore our players are taking it very seriously. We haven’t come here for a walk around, we’re here to compete and we’re going to do that the best we can. I hope our fans will continue to accompany us like they’ve done during this long process. They’ve always helped us to keep ourselves at our best level. Be it our families, friends or everyone in the country. Malaysia – Wallace Tan “It’s important for the players to experience playing in the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup. It’s an important tournament for the careers of young players as it will help them step up to the senior level. Egypt – Abu-Talib Maggid “Our objective is to give an opportunity, some exposure and also some experience to future national players, as well as preparing the team for which most of them will be eligible to play for the next Junior World Cup as well. Due to the current circumstances, I think that reaching a similar ranking as in 2014 and 2016 is a realistic objective. However, we will always fight to get a little higher, which is our ambition.

KARACHI (Sports Reporter):-Top seed Farhan Altaf, Asher Mir and Nadir Bachani qualified for the next round of the Men’s Singles of the 18th Westbury Ranking Tennis Championships at Defense Authority (DA) Creek Club Karachi on Tuesday. Results (Day-3): Men's Singles (Round-I) Nadir Mirza beat Asif Bachani 6-1, 6-2 Shiraz Bhand (Hyderabad) beat Timur Aslam (Hyderabad) 6-2, 2-0 Bilal Khan (Hyderabad) beat Mohammad Umair Anwar 6-0, 6-0 Nadir Bachani (Hyderabad Second Seed) defeated Mustafa Tariq 6-0, 6-4 Men's Singles (Round-II) Farhan Altaf (first seed) beat Ali Asif 6-0, 6-0. Asher Mir beat Rahim Waqar 6-1, 6-2 Nadir Bachani beat Rehan Iqbal 6-3, 6-1 Under-15 singles (quarterfinals) Munir Darbari (Hyderabad) defeated Faiz Ilyas 4-0, 4-0 Dharaf Das defeated Neil Mirza 3-5, 4-0, 5-4 Under-13 Singles (Round-I)  Zaid Zaman defeated Abid Bachani 4-1, 4-2 Under-13 Singles (Round-I) Ali Bachani (Hyderabad) defeated Nibras Malik 4-0, 5-3 Shahrzar Ali defeated Abdul Wahab (Hyderabad) 4-2, 4-2 Under-11 Singles (First Round) Majid Ali (Hyderabad) defeated Ahmed Asif 4-0, 4-0 Abid Bachani (Hyderabad) defeated Imdad Imran 4-2, 4-2 Shahrzar Ali defeated Hazeq Arejo (Hyderabad) 4-1, 4-2 Ahl-e-Imran defeated Rohan Das 5-4, 4-2 Under-11 Singles (Round-II) Mehd Shehzad defeated Zaid Zaman 1- 4, 4-1, 4-1 Ali Bachani defeated Mohammad Yahya Haleem 4-0, 4-0 Under- 9 Singles (Round-I) Mustafa Naveed defeated Omar Zaman 4-0, 4-0 Mohammad Qasim defeated Ali Imran 4-2, 4-1 Imdad Imran defeated Zain Qamar 0-4, 4-1, 4-2 Plus +35 Singles (Round-I)  Asif Mehmood defeated Jahangir Khan 8-4 Plus +35 Singles (quarters) Rafi Darbari (Hyderabad Top Seed) defeated Amir Mumtaz 8-4 Robin Das defeated Habib Vohra 8-3 Plus +35 Doubles’ (Quarterfinals) Vinod Das + Fahad Anwar defeated Asif Arshad + Saqib 8-3 Abbas Bhagat + Imran Dewan defeated Amir Mumtaz + Shehzad Mumtaz 8-3 Men's Doubles (First Round) Ibad-ur-Rehman + Mustafa Burney defeated Imran + Fahad 9-7 Salman Ahmed + Aamir Mumtaz defeated Shah Rukh + Bilal 8-6.

Karachi (Press Release):-Pakistan's top sports journalist and Daily Dawn Reporter Khalid Hasan Khan died in a local hospital on Monday. A passionate cricket writer Khalid Khan was hospitalised after suffering a brain hemorrhage over two weeks of ago. Khalid Khan was senior member of Karachi Press Club and Karachi Union of Journalists. He was 58 and left behind a widow and four daughters to mourn his death. Late Khalid extensively covered domestic and international cricket at home. His last international assignment was in Rawalpindi where he flew to cover Pakistan Vs New Zealand ODI series which was cancelled due to mysterious security. Late Khalid Khan was an authority on domestic first class cricket which he covered comprehensively for decades. He started his career by contributing for famous monthly cricket magazine The Cricketer and later switched to daily journalism the News soon its launch in 1990. He later joined Dawn over a decade. Khalid Khan was popular reporters at National Stadium Karachi Press Box. Khalid Khan's death is a great loss to sports journalism in Pakistan. May Allah Grant Him Highest place in Jannah. PCB saddened with the passing of Khalid H Khan Our reporter adds from Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed its sadness at the passing of cricket writer Khalid H Khan. He was 59. In a condolence message, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: “Khalid was one of the most respected cricket journalists in the country who had a long and distinguished career with the iconic Dawn newspaper. In my interactions with him that spanned more than two decades, I found him very passionate and knowledgeable about the game. “Khalid was widely respected and well-loved amongst his peers, players and administrators for his deep affection for domestic cricket and support for the emerging cricketers and leading performers. “My prayers and sympathies are with his friends and family on his sad and untimely passing.”

BIPIN DANI Prof. Arjuna de Silva, the chairman of the medical panel of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board was surprised when he received a call from Trinidad on Sunday late evening.  The unknown caller was Michael Solozano, the father of Jeremy, who was hit on the helmet off Dimuth Karunaratne's powerful shot while fielding at short leg minutes before lunch on the first day of the ongoing Test match. The 26-year-old left-handed batsman was taken off the field on a stretcher and transferred to a Nawaloka Hospital from the Galle Stadium in an ambulance for scans. The family in Trinidad woke up with the news on TV. "I spoke with the doctor (Prof. Arjuna de Silva. He (Prof.) is indeed a wonderful person. He said he (my son) is fine and when I was last updated in the morning (9.00 am Trinidad time, i.e.  6.30 pm Sri Lanka time), he was discharged from the hospital and was on his way to the team hotel", Michael Solozano, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Trinidad, said to the Reporter.   "Yes, I also got a call from him and he is better now", the father, who has been his mentor, added. West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano is "most-likely" to be out of the first ongoing Test match against Sri Lanka. "He is better now and scan-reports are also normal. He was unconscious for a while and therefore these concussions tests were mandatory", one of the sources, speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo. A neurosurgeon having specialty in neck pain , back pain and headache was looking after the player.    Jeremy Solozano, who wore a helmet while fielding at short-leg, but this has been his regular fielding position, informs his childhood coach David Furlone. "He fields at short-leg position for the Trinidad team also", he said over the telephone. The coach got Jeremy's injury news from team's wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva, who also plays for Trinidad.

Karachi (Saad Kayani):-The World Premier Scrabble tournament started with 105 players from 23 countries.  A team of 20 scrabble experts under the tournament director Hammad Hadi is organizing the championship online from their control center at Pharmevo House in Karachi. Nadeem Omar, Franchise owner of Quetta Gladiators inaugurated the event. All players completed 16 games in the first phase. At the end of the first phase Will Anderson of USA was on top with 14 wins and two losses. He has a spread of 1100. World No. 8 Paul Gallen of Northern Ireland is currently second with 13 wins and a spread of 1571. Paul Gallen's average score is an astonishing 499.56 through the 16 games. Another tournament favorite, former world champion and current world No. 2 David Eldar of Australia is 3rd with 13 wins and a spread of 1338. Ben Schoenbrun (USA), Peter Cougi (Australia), Ivan Sentongo (Uganda), Alastair Richards (New Zealand) and Prince Omosefe (Nigeria) make up the 4-8 positions respectively. Another 16 games will be played in the second phase. Top 8 players after completion of 32 games will qualify for the quarter finals. The top player from Pakistan is currently Syed Imaad Ali who is playing on a special seat reserved for the reigning world youth champion. Imaad has 10.5 and a spread of 315. He is just 1.5 wins away from the 8th spot and still has a good chance of qualifying for the quarter finals. Young Ali Salman is not far behind with 10 wins. The second phase will be played over the next weekend on 27 & 28 November while the Quarter finals, Semi finals and final will be played on December 4 and 5, 2021.

Lausanne, Switzerland (Sports Bulletin Report):-The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to confirm the squad lists for the upcoming FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup South Africa 2021, the showpiece event where hockey’s rising stars will take to the field in the global showpiece in Potchefstroom.  The competition, which takes place from 5-16 December, is the first FIH World Cup event ever to take place on African soil. Although the Junior World Cup has a deserved reputation as being a competition in which the stars of the future showcase themselves for the first time, there are numerous players who have already made a considerable impression on the sport. Argentina are blessed by the presence of the Valentina Raposo, the brilliant 17-year-old defender who won silver with Las Leonas at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Issy Petter and Fiona Crackles are also Olympic medallists from Tokyo 2020, being part of the bronze medal-winning Great Britain team and now being named in the England squad for Potchefstroom. India’s women also have Olympians amongst their ranks, with Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi and Salima Tete all included in the Junior World Cup squad after their remarkable fourth place finish in Tokyo. Jette Fleschütz (Germany) and Laura Barrios (Spain) are also Olympians from Tokyo, while Ambre Ballenghien and Charlotte Englebert are two of numerous players named in the Belgium squad to have played in the FIH Hockey Pro League. Looking ahead to the event, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said: “The Junior World Cup is a proven launch-pad for hockey’s brightest young talents, and we are certain that the 2021 competition in Potchefstroom will unveil many exceptional individuals who will dazzle us for years to come. “For many of the athletes, this will be the first time they have represented their nation on such a big stage. The honour of representing their respective countries is something that will live with each player for the rest of their lives, regardless of what they go on to achieve in life and sport. “I would like to thank the South African Hockey Association and North-West University and all their partners for their relentless energy in planning for this event. Our thanks must also go to the sponsors and all the volunteers who are crucial to making this event a success.

LAHORE (Sports Reporter):-Peshawar defeated Lahore-Gujranwala by 48-20 in the final match while Faisalabad-Sahiwal team got third position in the 2nd Inter-Regional Junior National Kabaddi Championship Under 23 Weight (Asian Style) at Nishtar Park Sports Complex on Monday. Secretary Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) Rana Sarwar, Deputy Director Tariq Wattoo, Chief Consultant SBP HafeezBhatti, Administrator NPSC Gymnasium Hall Mustafa Shah were also present on this occasion. Vice-Chairman Sports Board Punjab Rao Zahid Qayyum distributed prizes among the winning and runners-up teams and prominent performers of the event. Earlier, he was warmly received upon reaching the venue and introduced with the participating players and officials. He also had group photographs with them on this occasion. Vice-Chairman Sports Board Punjab Rao Zahid Qayyum said: We are promoting all games among the young generation in all parts of the province. “Though Kabaddi belongs to Punjab, it is encouraging development that this traditional game is spreading across the country swiftly”. Vice-Chairman Sports Board Punjab Rao Zahid Qayyum appreciated the exciting and thrilling competitions of 2nd Inter-Regional Junior National Kabaddi Championship. He also congratulated the winning team.   

Dhaka (Sports Bulletin Report):-Mohammad Nawaz hit a four off the last ball to ensure a 3-0 series clean sweep for Pakistan in the third and final match of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium Mirpur, Dhaka on Monday. The tourists had won the first match by four wickets and the second by eight wickets over the weekend. On Monday, Pakistan’s 125-run chase took a dramatic turn in the final over of the match. Needing eight runs to win off the last six balls, the visitors lost the wickets of Sarfaraz Ahmed (6), Haider Ali (45) and Iftikhar Ahmed (6) in the first five balls bowled by Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah. After bowling a dot ball, Mahmudullah had Sarfaraz and Haider caught in the deep off successive balls. Iftikhar smashed a big six off the fourth ball of the over to leave Pakistan needing two off the last two balls. The right-hander was however caught attempting a big shot off the penultimate ball which brought Nawaz to the crease. The left-hander hit a majestic boundary over the cover region to ensure Pakistan’s five-wicket victory. Pakistan’s chase was built on a 51-runs second-wicket stand between player of the series Mohammad Rizwan and player of the match Haider. Rizwan was dismissed for 40 (43 balls, two fours, one six). The right-handed wicketkeeper batter had earlier added 32 for the first-wicket with captain Babar Azam (19). Pakistan were cruising in their chase before the flurry of wickets in the final over. Haider who batted at number three scored his 45 off 38 balls with the help of two sixes and three fours. Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first for the third successive time in the series. Debutant pacer Shahnawaz Dahani made an immediate impression as he bowled opener Najmul Hossain for five in the second over of the match. Leg-spinner Usman Qadir accounted for Shamim Hossain (22) in his first over to leave Bangladesh 37 for two in 7.2 overs. Mohammad Naim who opened the innings, top-scored for the hosts with 47 off 50 balls (two fours, two sixes), Naim added 43 for the third-wicket with Afif Hossain who contributed 20 off 21 balls. Despite keeping wickets in hand, Bangladesh batters failed to break the shackles as Pakistan bowlers’ maintained tight control over the proceedings. The hosts finished their 20 overs at 124 for seven, for Pakistan Mohammad Wasim Jnr took two wickets for 15 runs. Usman also took a couple of wickets conceding 35 runs in his four overs. Shahnawaz and Haris Rauf took a wicket apiece for 24 and 32 runs in three and four overs respectively. Pakistan made four changes in their eleven with Shahnawaz, Sarfaraz, Iftikhar and Usman replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Shadab Khan. Scores in Brief: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by five wickets Bangladesh 124 for 7, 20 overs (Mohammad Naim 47, Shamim Hossain 22, Afif Hossain 20; Mohammad Wasim Jnr 2-15, Usman Qadir 2-35) Pakistan 127 for 5, 20 overs (Haider Ali 45, Mohammad Rizwan 40; Mahmudullah 3-10) Player of the match:  Haider Ali Player of the series:  Mohammad Rizwan

ISLAMABAD (Sports Desk):-As part of our continued build-up to the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, Pool D preview is examining the qualification routes and past form of the teams that will compete at the showpiece event in India. Argentina, Germany and Pakistan – all previous winners of the competition – are joined by Egypt as representatives from four different continents meet in Pool D. A top two finish is the only way to secure a place in the competition quarter-finals and thus maintain hopes of Junior World Cup glory. Argentina How they qualified: 2nd Place: 2021 Men’s Junior Pan American Championship Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 5th, 2013 – 11th, 2009 – 6th, 2005 – 1st, 2001 – 2nd, 1997 – 6th, 1993 – 6th, 1989 – 5th, 1985 – 7th, 1979 – 6th About the team: Argentina’s sensational winning streak in the Men’s Junior Pan American Championship finally came to an end in Santiago earlier this year, with hosts Chile defeating the Argentines in the final to deny them a 12th straight title, a run that started back in Mexico City in 1978. However, that loss could well prove to be a motivating factor, as Argentina aim to add a second Junior World Cup title to the one claimed at the Rotterdam 2005 (NED) event. The team finished fifth at the 2016 Junior World Cup in Lucknow, India, where current senior stars Nicolas Keenan, Maico Casella, Agustin Bugallo and Thomas Habif were all involved. Bruno Stellato impressed in Santiago with four penalty corner conversion in four matches, so could be a player to watch in Bhubaneswar. Egypt How they qualified: Nominated by African Hockey Federation Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 15th, 2013 – 15th, 2009 – 14th, 2005 – 12th, 1997 – 9th, 1993 – 12th, 1989 – 10th, 1985 – 12th About the team: With the Junior Africa Cup 2021 in Namibia cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 global health pandemic, Egypt’s place at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 came courtesy of a nomination by the African Hockey Federation based on their superb title victory at the Junior Africa Cup in 2016. The Bhubaneswar competition will be their fifth successive Junior World Cup competition and their eighth in total, only missing the 1979, 1982 and 2001 competitions. A ninth-place finish at Milton Keynes 1997 (ENG) is their best performance to date, but the team will have high hopes of surpassing that achievement at the Kalinga Stadium. Germany How they qualified: 1st Place – EuroHockey Junior Championship Men 2019 Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 3rd, 2013 – 1st, 2009 – 1st, 2005 – 6th, 2001 – 3rd, 1997 – 3rd, 1993 – 1st, 1989 – 1st*, 1985 – 1st *, 1982 – 1st *, 1979 – 2nd * About the team: Germany sealed their place at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 by winning the EuroHockey Junior Championship Men 2019 in Valencia, Spain. That team contained handful of players who would go represent their country at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, including goalkeeper Alexander Stadler, Linus Müller and Justus Weigand. Germany are the most successful nation in the history of the Men’s Junior World Cup, having claimed the title on six occasions and medalling at 10 out of the 11 competitions staged to date. Pakistan How they qualified: Nominated by Asian Hockey Federation Junior World Cup history: 2013 – 9th, 2009 – 5th, 2005 – 7th, 1997 – 5th, 1993 – 2nd, 1989 – 3rd, 1985 – 3rd, 1982 – 3rd, 1979 – 1st About the team: Pakistan appeared on the men’s Junior World Cup podium on each of the first five competitions played between 1979 and 1993, winning the inaugural event and claiming one silver and three bronze medals. Since then, two fifth place finishes have been the best achieved, coming in 1997 and 2009. Always blessed with unpredictability and talent, the junior Green Shirts will set their sights high in Bhubaneswar. Pakistan’s place in the competition was confirmed by being nominated by the Asian Hockey Federation following the unfortunate COVID-19 related cancellation of the 2021 Junior Asia Cup, which acted as the qualification competition for the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar.  The opening match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 will see Belgium facing South Africa on 24 November at the Kalinga Stadium, the outstanding venue which hosted the last FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018. The competition final will be played on 5 December.