It will probably be his last time at this tournament as captain, so it's very important for him to make everyone believe we can do it and for us to get behind him. India fans can't wait for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to start for this reason. We have the players, we have the momentum - we just need to go out there and execute now. All of our players have just played the Indian Premier League in the UAE and they have played themselves into top form with eight or nine games in this environment. This gives India an edge on all other teams and makes them one of the big favourites to win the T20 World Cup in my opinion. The conditions in UAE are very similar to what we play India and also in Pakistan. It's a good opportunity for the Asian teams to come and play their natural game. We need to remember there are lots of other good teams in the tournament. Pakistan, Australia and England also look very good, and anything can happen in T20 cricket. For me, the key to success for India's batting lies in the top three. Rohit Sharma is a gun player - he has a brilliant record at ICC events in the past and had a great IPL. We need Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat to bat through to 15 overs and lay the platform. They can set the momentum for the India team by doing this. There are lots of electric combinations in the middle order and obviously Rishabh Pant is going to play a key role there. Hardik Pandya is also very capable as a power hitter. But if the top three are still there at that stage of the innings, there is no target that India can't chase. My experience in the IPL was that the wickets in UAE and Oman will be very, very challenging when it comes to the mystery spinners. That makes Varun Chakravarthy the main guy in the India bowling attack. He has showed he can exploit the pace of the pitches. Varun has only played three T20Is but I'm not concerned by any lack of experience. There is plenty of experience in this team, particularly in the seam attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar in particular leads the way when it comes to experience and knowledge of how to deal with the big games. The inclusion of Shardul Thakur can also give extra strength to the fast bowlers that Virat has at his disposal. We have been waiting for this T20 World Cup for a long time. It has been a difficult two years but I think we're about to see something special in the UAE and Oman.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 17, 2021):-Sohail Amir has won the gold medal in the All Pakistan Triathlon Competition 2021 that conducted at Bahawalpur on other day. He completed all the three stages with the timing of in 1 hour 15 minutes. Mohammad Bilal and Amir Abbas remained at 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. According to a press release of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), as many as 552 Triathletes representing all provinces Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkawa including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan enthusiastically participated in this grand event. Also different Government Departments, Pakistan Army, Civil Armed Forces, Students of Colleges and Universities, Professional athletes from Pakistan Triathlon Federation (PTF) and Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) took part in the competition. The Competition comprised of three sports events, which included 300m Swimming followed by 20km Cycling and 10km cross country running in the end. Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lieutenant General Khalid Zia, was the chief guest. Olympian Shahbaz Senior was the special guest of honor at the occasion. Corps Commander distributed medals and prizes among the winners.  A large number of notable dignitaries including Olympian Arshad Nadeem, National Hockey Coach Khwaja Junaid, Mountaineer Saima Baig, Olympian Boxer Asghar Changezi attended the ceremony. The top officials of Pakistan Tri-Athletics Federation (PTF), Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP), Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) were also present on the occasion. Cultural delegates and floats from Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir were the highlighted features of this ceremony.

Sports Bulletin Report BRUSSELS (October 17, 2021):-A sell-out crowd witnessed Belgium’s women and men both claim FIH Hockey Pro League victories over the national teams of Germany on a jubilant day in Brussels, with fans flocking in their thousands to witness the teams in action for the first time since the Red Lions became Olympic champions at Tokyo 2020. It was an occasion that more than lived up to the hype, with Belgium’s men storming to a sensational 6-1 triumph over Die Honamas in a match played at a searing pace and packed with skill.  The Red Lions win came shortly after the Red Panthers, Belgium’s national women’s team, claimed a narrow but deserved triumph over Die Danas. A wonderful penalty corner drag-flick from rising superstar Ambre Ballenghien late in the game settled the contest, helping the team to bounce back from Wednesday’s opening day defeat against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Live-wire striker Ballenghien – who forced Germany goalkeeper Noelle Rother into a stunning stick save early in the contest – sent a glorious flick into the top left corner of the net with seven minutes of the match remaining, delighting a passion-fuelled sell-out crowd at Brussels’ Royal Uccle Sport stadium in a match that had been delayed by 90 minutes due to technical issues.  While Germany had some good chances of their own, Belgium were well worth the three points and will be looking to repeat the trick when the two teams do battle again on Sunday. “I think we had a lot of occasions to score and to finally put it in, it was a delivery for all the team”, said Belgium’s match-winner Ballenghien, who was named Player of the Match. “I think we really deserved the win as today we were the better team on the field, so we are very happy with the win.” Germany head coach Xavier Reckinger – who represented Belgium’s men on the international stage on 326 occasions – said: “I think we had a few chances, and the girls did exactly what we wanted to do. We had good chances to put them away, but they dominated, especially on their counter. I’m quite pleased with the performance from all the players, but we do have to improve some stuff. There were some things which, for me, are not good enough at the international level, but we’ll work on those and be ready for tomorrow.” It was a special day for Belgium’s Louise Versavel, who played her 200th senior international match. The men’s match was an absolute thriller, with Germany’s inexperienced team very much taking the game to their illustrious opponents from the start. Die Honamas came closest to opening the scoring in the early stages when a wonderful deflection from Malte Hellwig clipped the outside of the Belgian post, with the teams going into the quarter-time break with the deadlock unbroken. Belgium stepped up their game in the second quarter, establishing a 2-0 lead thanks field goals from Sebastien Dockier and Cedric Charlier before William Ghislain got in on the act in the third period, finishing off a superb team move to put Belgium – the reigning Olympic, World and FIH Hockey Pro League champions – into a lead that they never looked likely to lose. Nicolas De Kerpel scored the goal of the game with a brilliant lob over Germany goalkeeper Alexander Stadler in the fourth quarter before Germany’s Mario Schachner reduced the deficit with six minutes remaining. However, a second for De Kerpel and a penalty corner deflection from ageless midfielder John-John Dohmen completed an emphatic score-line for the title holders, who were presented with the trophy for the 2020-21 season ahead of the contest. The tophy was received by retired attacker and former captain Thomas Briels, much to the delight of the home fans. “We are very happy to be back here in Belgium playing in front of our home crowd”, said Belgium’s Arthur De Sloover, who was named Player of the Match. “It was the first game after the Olympics and we really wanted to show them that we still want to win every game, so we are very happy with the performance today.” Germany goalkeeper Alexander Stadler said: “We played with a mixed team, players who were at the Olympics and some new players. We gave it a great team effort and it was a great experience. In the first half we were a bit unlucky with the two goals. In the second half we made too many mistakes in dangerous areas and they took their counters, while we didn’t’ take our chances on the counters, which was the difference today.”  The FIH Hockey Pro League Season 3 action continues on Sunday when the international teams of Belgium and Germany take to the field for their second meetings in Brussels. To see the complete FIH Hockey Pro League match schedule, please click here. Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the Watch.Hockey app, event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. FIH Hockey Pro League Saturday 16 October 2021 – Brussels (BEL) Women Belgium 1, Germany 0 [Match 1 of 2] Player of the Match: Ambre Ballenghien (BEL) Umpires: Hannah Harrison (ENG), Alison Keogh (IRL) and Dan Barstow (ENG – Video) Men Belgium 6, Germany 1 [Match 1 of 2] Player of the Match: Arthur de Sloover (BEL) Umpires: Dan Barstow (ENG), Jonas van ‘t Hek (NED) and Hannah Harrison (ENG – Video)

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (October 17, 2021):-The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) takes note of FIFA’s plans to change the football competition schedule and to hold the World Cup every two years. A number of International Federations (IFs) of other sports, national football federations, clubs, players, players associations and coaches have expressed strong reservations and concerns regarding the plans to generate more revenue for FIFA, mainly for the following reasons: Impact on other sports – The increased frequency and timing for the World Cup would create a clash with other major international sports. This includes tennis, cycling, golf, gymnastics, swimming, athletics, Formula 1 and many others. This would undermine the diversity and development of sports other than football. Gender equality – The increase in men’s events in the calendar would create challenges for the further promotion of women’s football. Players’ welfare – The plans, in particular the doubling in the frequency of the World Cup, would create a further massive strain on the physical and mental health of the players. The IOC shares these concerns and supports the calls of stakeholders of football, International Sports Federations and major event organisers for a wider consultation, including with athletes’ representatives, which has obviously not taken place.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (October 16, 2021):-The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today approved a list of 17 athletes (a record number for the Olympic Winter Games) covering all five continents, who have proposed their candidatures for the  IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC) election that will take place at the upcoming Games in Beijing.  Ten female and seven male athletes from 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), six sports and five continents will compete for the two vacant seats on the Commission. They have been nominated by their respective NOCs, together with their NOC Athletes’ Commissions. Approval of the candidatures of two athletes on the list who have not yet participated in the Olympic Winter Games is subject to their qualifying for the Games during the upcoming qualification competitions, and confirmation of their participation in the Games by their respective NOCs. “The record number of candidates and global representation are a strong sign that athletes want to play a primary and active role within the Olympic Movement and make their voices heard, which is great,” commented Emma Terho, Chair of the IOC AC. “All these candidates bring great value to the athlete community, and will add a new set of skills and expertise to the IOC Athletes’ Commission no matter who will be elected.” The elected athletes will replace current IOC AC member Hayley Wickenheiser (CAN), who is finishing her term of office at the end of Beijing 2022, and fill the vacancy caused by Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR)’s resignation from the IOC AC in 2016. Athletes competing at Beijing 2022 will be able to vote for their representatives in the Olympic Villages from 27 January (the day the Villages open) until 16 February 2022. The IOC AC The IOC AC’s mission is to ensure that the athletes’ viewpoint remains at the heart of Olympic Movement decisions. Serving as a link between the athletes and the IOC, the Commission is composed of a maximum of 23 members (12 members directly elected by their peers and a maximum of 11 appointed), who serve a term of eight years. An election is held at every edition of the Olympic Games, with four members chosen at each Summer Games, and two at each Winter Games. The appointments are made by the IOC President, in consultation with the IOC AC Chair, to ensure a good balance between regions, genders and sports. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commission are elected by the Commission members, and must also be elected members of the AC. In addition, the chairs of the five NOC Continental Association Athletes’ Commissions, plus a representative from the Athletes’ Council of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and one from the World Olympians Association, take part in the work of the Commission as liaisons, to maximise engagement with the global athlete community.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (October 16, 2021):-On the eve of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 starting in Oman and the UAE tomorrow (Sunday 17 October), cricket fans have double the reason to celebrate, with Australia’s turn to host the pinnacle global event for T20 cricket coming in just 12 months' time. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia will take place from 16 October – 13 November 2022 On the eve of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 starting in Oman and the UAE tomorrow (Sunday 17 October), cricket fans have double the reason to celebrate, with Australia’s turn to host the pinnacle global event for T20 cricket coming in just 12 months' time.    The world’s best players from 16 teams will play 45 matches around the country in what will be the biggest global sporting event to be hosted in Australia next year. It will be the first time Australia has hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, following on from a record-breaking women’s event in 2020 that culminated in 86,174 fans attending the final at the MCG on International Women’s Day. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO Michelle Enright, said: “Hosting what will be the biggest sporting event in Australia next year has the ability to lift the nation’s spirits and the timing of the event could not be better for fans across the whole country to experience the joy of live sport again.” “We saw both at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015 and in the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, the power of major events to unite people and communities through sport and we can’t wait to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together for a celebration of cricket and culture in exactly one year from now.” The upcoming 2021 event in Oman and the UAE will play a role in determining who joins Afghanistan, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies and hosts Australia, who have already qualified for the 2022 showpiece. These eight teams gained direct entry to the Super 12 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 by virtue of being inside the top eight on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings at the cut-off prior to the postponed 2020 event. All teams who reach the Super 12 stage of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Oman and the UAE will earn automatic qualification to the event in Australia next year. The current event qualification pathway is as follows: The 12 teams that play in the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will automatically qualify for Australia 2022. From the 12 automatic qualifiers, the winner and runner up of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 plus the next six highest ranked teams (as of November 15, 2021) will go straight through to the Super 12 stage of Australia 2022. The remaining four teams from the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will play in the First Round of Australia 2022.

AAMIR ALI JANJUA Dubai (October 16, 2021):-When it comes to the best spinner at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, it's hard to look past Tabraiz Shamsi. The South African is ranked No.1 in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for a reason and as a left-armer, he poses a significant challenge for batters. Left-arm wrist spinners are rare in international cricket - he's very consistent, can turn the ball both ways and has tremendous control. I saw him recently in the Caribbean when South Africa played the West Indies and he was able to spin webs around the West Indian batters. I see him playing a major role for his team with the ball - he has the ability to bowl in different phases of the game, too, which is important. His captain Temba Bavuma will be able to call on him to deliver at any time in the innings and that's worth its weight in gold. In terms of other spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin is of course there for India. He has that experience; he's played for quite a long time now. Australia can bowl Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar in tandem and they have done well bowling together in the recent past. Most of the teams have quality spinners in their ranks - at least two of them, because of the conditions teams predict that they will face. They can all win games single-handedly. That said, if there's one area of the West Indies team that I'm worried about, it's the spin department. It's an area of shortcoming for them. They have the one frontline spinner, Hayden Walsh, who had an exceptional home series quite recently. He didn't have a good Caribbean Premier League and going into this tournament, his form is not the best and his confidence might not be the best. He is quality enough to do well in the tournament, but outside of him, there aren't any out-and-out spinners. Being able to take wickets throughout the innings is so important. If the power hitters like Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell can get the team to over 200 runs consistently, that area of deficit can be ignored. But if we don't score those type of runs, the bowling will be found out and the spin bowling in particular. Spin was a big strength of ours when we won the tournament in 2012 and 2016. We had Sunil Narine, Sulieman Benn and myself who could all use the new ball in any game. Spin is always important and has an integral role in T20 cricket - we've seen that in previous editions of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. It's being played in the UAE and Oman, where we have traditionally come to expect slow conditions. I foresee spinners having a big impact in this tournament. We played quite a few series in Pakistan and I played in the Pakistan Super League. Because of the heat factor and the dry nature of the surfaces, you always expect spinners to do well. The slow nature of the pitches also helps with that. Spinners will do particularly well in Dubai, as well as in Sharjah, which give you more of an opportunity. They will prosper less in Abu Dhabi because in my memory there is a lot of grass on the pitch there. T20 cricket puts a lot of pressure on spinners, because you can bowl four or five good balls and still end up going for runs. When the conditions favour the spinners, there's always additional pressure and expectation that they come and win the game for the team. Spinners are always under pressure in this game, whether you're bowling in the first over or the last. It's not new for them. Samuel Badree: Shamsi the spinner to watch in T20 World Cup  

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (October 16, 2021):-Gujranwala and Islamabad blind’s cricket teams registered the victories on the open day of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) T20 Blind’s Cricket Trophy 2021 after beating Kashmir by 43 runs and Peshawar 20 runs respectively at E-9 cricket ground on Saturday. Air Commodore, Zulfiqar Ali graced the opening ceremony as chief guest. In the first fixture, Gujranwala scored 153 for 7 in allotted 20 overs, as Mohammad Atiq was top scorer with 36. Kashmir team could score only 110 runs and lost their all batters. Meanwhile, in the second match, hosts Islamabad beat Peshawar by 20 runs, as Islamabad set a target of 241 runs in 20 overs. Mohammad Ayub hit a brilliant ton (107) and declared man of the match. In reply, Peshawar could score 221 for runs in 20 overs. Sunday’s Fixtures: Islamabad vs Kashmir Peshawar vs Gujranwala  

ABDULLAH ASJAD Rawalpindi (October 16, 2021);-Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has constituted three different committees for Rawalpindi Centre to run the affairs of Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) matches, which are being played at Municipal Stadium, Rawalpindi. President, District Football Association, Rawalpindi, Raja Ishtiaq Ahmed and Taimoor Kayani will be the Chairman and Coordinator of the Local Organizing Committee respectively. According to Secretary General, Pakistan Football Federation, Mohammad Naveed Akram, the following committees were made namely, Local Organizing Committee, Technical Committee and Ground Committee; Local Organizing Committee; Chairman, Raja Ishtiaq Ahmed; Deputy Chairman, Chacha Saeed Ahmed; Coordinator, Taimoor Kayani and other members are Raja Masood Ahmed, Syed Zakir Hussain Naqvi, Tahir Qureshi, Ch. Amjad Ali, Zahid Shah, Nasir Kayani, Muhammad Javed, Hafiz Waqar, Imran Khan, Islam uddin, Ashraf Balti and Malik Javed. Technical Committee; Chairman, Wazir Mohammad and other members are Zulfiqar Ahmed Cheema, Chman Khan and ZararMehmood Pirzada. Ground Committee; Chairman Khurram Farooqui and other members are Mohammad Idress, Mohammad Saddam Ali and Mohammad Haris Mushtaq.  

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 16, 2021):-Former captains Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame posthumously. The two stalwarts have joined Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas, who were the initial inductees to the PCB Hall of Fame by virtue of being part of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Fazal and Qadir were inducted following a transparent voting process. The PCB Cricket Committee* was involved in finalising the short-list comprising players who were retired from international cricket for, at least, five years. Subsequently, a 13-person independent voting panel**, comprising three ICC Cricket Hall of Famers, four former Pakistan captains and six respected members of the print and electronic media, was constituted to take part in the voting process, which was overseen by an internal auditor who also confirmed the results in favour of the inductees. The formal inductions of all the eight PCB Hall of Famers will take place during the ongoing season. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “It is befitting that Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir, legends from two different eras, be voted by their peers and admirers into the PCB Hall of Fame for 2021. This is a testament to their enormous popularity and is also a recognition of their services to this great game. “Fazal’s heroics in the early days introduced Pakistan cricket to the world as a force to be reckoned with and later inspired the next generations of fast bowlers. The wily, crafty and magical Abdul Qadir revived and reignited the slowly vanishing art of wrist-spin bowling. “Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir are all-time greats and truly outstanding ambassadors for Pakistan and global cricket. This is just a small token of our appreciation and gratitude towards their contributions.” About Fazal Mahmood Fazal Mahmood, considered as the first superstar of Pakistan cricket, was born on 18 February 1927 in Lahore and took 139 wickets in 34 Tests from 1952 to 1962, including five wickets in an innings 13 times and 10 wickets or more in a match four times. However, his first-class career had commenced eight years earlier when he represented Northern India in the Ranji Trophy. When he hung his boots after the 1963-64 season, he had grabbed 466 wickets in 112 matches. In Pakistan’s debut Test series in 1952 in India, Fazal took 20 wickets, including 12 wickets in the Lucknow Test, which Pakistan won by an innings and 43 runs. In the return series in 1954-55, Fazal took 15 wickets in four Tests, while in the 1960-61 series he picked up nine wickets in five Tests. In 1955, Fazal became the first Pakistan cricketer to be named in Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year, a year after his performances had helped Pakistan draw their first series against England in England. Fazal claimed 20 wickets in the four-Test series, including match figures of 12 for 99 at The Oval that earned AH Kardar’s side a 24-run victory. Fazal’s varied swing and a mixture of leg-cutters were too much to handle for the West Indies as the maestro picked up 20 wickets in the 1957-58 series in the Caribbean and then followed up by 21 wickets in three Tests in the 1958-59 series at home. Fazal was bestowed with the President’s Pride of Performance Award – the highest national literary award of Pakistan – in 1958. In 2012, he was posthumously awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz – the second highest civilian award – in recognition of his services to Pakistan cricket, seven years after his passing on 30 May 2005. About Abdul Qadir Abdul Qadir, boasting a bouncy, enthusiastic run-up with a left elbow high and flicking the ball from hand to hand, took 236 wickets (five wickets in an innings 15 times and 10 wickets in a match five time) and scored 1,029 runs in 67 Tests from 1977 to 1990. He also demonstrated that leg spin could be highly effective in one-day cricket by claiming 132 wickets and scoring 641 runs in 104 ODIs from 1983 to 1993. In 209 first-class matches from 1975-76 to 1995-96, he captured 960 wickets and scored 3,740 runs, including two centuries. Born on 15 September 1955 in Lahore, Qadir made his Test debut against England in 1977 and in only his second match in Hyderabad, took six for 44 with the Wisden Cricketers Almanack describing him as “the most notable discovery of his type for some time”. In the 1987 Test series against the same opposition at Lahore, Qadir took nine for 56, which still stands as the best bowling performance by a Pakistan bowler. One of Qadir’s memorable bowling spells was in the 1986 Faisalabad Test against the mighty West Indies when he claimed six for 16 to spin Viv Richards’ side out for a paltry 53 that handed Pakistan a 186 runs victory. In 10 Tests against the West Indies, he picked up 42 wickets. Qadir also featured in the 1983 and 1987 World Cups, taking 24 wickets in nine matches, including five for 44 against Sri Lanka at Headingley. Qadir passed on 6 September 2019, with Wisden Cricketers Alamack, in its tribute, writing: “The legendary Pakistani leg-spinner Abdul Qadir was one of the finest exponents of his art, with his skills and magical tricks inspiring generations to come.” In 1988, Qadir received the President’s Pride of Performance Award, while in 2020, he was conferred with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third-highest civilian award in Pakistan. In 2008, Qadir was one of the subjects of a Wisden Cricketers Alamack feature on five great players who were never a Cricketer of the Year. About the panel (who participated in the voting process): *PCB Cricket Committee: Saleem Yousuf (chair), Ali Naqvi, Umar Gul, Urooj Mumtaz and Wasim Akram **Independent voting panel:  Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis, Zaheer Abbas (all ICC Cricket Hall of Famers), Intikhab Alam, Rashid Latif, Sana Mir and Shahid Afridi (all former Pakistan captains), Aaliya Rasheed, Chishty Mujahid, Dr Nauman Niaz, Rasheed Shakoor, Sohail Imran and Qamar Ahmed (all print, electronic and broadcast journalists)