By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 9, 2020):-Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) on Thursday gave a cash award of Rs.500 thousand to Mohammad Hamza Khan, who won gold medal in the Under-15 age category of British Open Junior Squash Championship that  was taken place in Birmingham, England. According to media department of PSF, on Thursday, President PSF, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force met with Pakistan junior squash team and lauded their performance in this prestigious event. At this occasion, he and also awarded cash prizes among the players. Hamza Khan, who won the Under 15 title was awarded cash prize of Rs 500,000. Interacting with players, the Air Chief said that the whole nation was proud of young squash player Mohammad Hamza Khan, who brought laurels to the country by winning the championship after a big space of eight years. Also, head of the federation appreciated the hard work put in by the coaching staff for providing international standard training and coaching facilities to the young players.

SB News KARACHI(January 9, 2020):-Aliya Riaz’s all-round effort led PCB Blasters to a 25-run win over PCB Dynamites in the opening match of the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship at Karachi’s National Stadium on Thursday. Rameen Shamim-led Blasters scored 144 for five in 20 over after Nahida Khan, the Dynamites’ captain, opted to bowl after winning the toss. With a 32-ball 42, which included eight fours, Javeria Khan top scored, while the second best score in the innings was registered by Aliya, who scored 27 runs from 28 balls on the back of two fours and a six. Blasters were provided a solid start by the opening pair of Javeria and Ayesha Naseem (22 off 20) as they put a 70-run stand. Dynamites’ Nashra Sandhu and Kainat Imtiaz picked up a wicket each for 40 and 17 runs, respectively. In their reply, Dynamites managed 119 for seven. Captain Nahida and Irum Javed scored 35 runs each. The former hit four fours in her 41-ball innings, while the latter hit three fours and two sixes in 28 balls. Aliya, with her medium-fast bowling, picked up two crucial wickets of Pakistan internationals Omaima Sohail and Irum. Her four overs leaked 24 runs. Anum Amin, the slow left-arm, took two wickets for 25 runs. For her all-round performance, Aliya was declared player of the match. On Friday, PCB Blasters will play PCB Challengers at the National Stadium. The match will begin at 12pm. Scores in brief: PCB Blasters 144-5, 20 overs (Javeria Khan 42, Aliya Riaz 27, Ayesha Naseem 22) PCB Dynamites 119-6, 20 overs (Nahida Khan 35, Irum Javed 35; Aliya Riaz 2-24) Result PCB Blasters beat PCB Dynamites by 25 runs

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 8, 2020):-Pakistan’s 12 member contingent comprising 9 players and 3 officials arrived in Islamabad after participating in the British Open Juniors’ Squash Championship 2020 that concluded on January 6 in Birmingham, England. Mohammad Hamza Khan brought the honour after 8 years for country by winning gold medal in Under-15 age group category, who had defeated local guy Yusuf Sheikh at 11-4, 11-3 and 11-7. Top officials of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) welcomed the players at Islamabad International Airport. An interaction with the media, PSF arranged special session at Mushaf Squash Complex. Secretary Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Akbar Durrani and Director General PSB Amna Imran were also present on this occasion and congratulated the teenager on their remarkable performance in the international junior squash showpiece.

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (January 8, 2020):-Australian players, including 2019 T20 International Player of the Year, Alyssa Healy were joined by trailblazing women from a range of sectors for a beach cricket match, to begin the final countdown to the biggest women’s sporting event ever held in Australia. Set to cover over 14,000 kilometres around the country, the Trophy Tour will give thousands of fans the opportunity to see the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 trophy. The trophy will visit iconic locations around Australia to bring communities and cultures together as excitement builds towards the global event that begins with hosts and defending champions Australia taking on India at Sydney Showground Stadium on Friday 21 February 2020. The 44-day tour will visit over 40 locations and will showcase stories about inspiring women from communities across Australia, a nod to the tournament campaign ‘It’s the Big Dance, and the women are leading’. Fans will be able to get up close with the trophy at various locations including Sydney, Bowral, Newcastle, Brisbane, Ballarat, Bendigo, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide with the full schedule available at t20worldcup.com/trophytour. With bushfires devastating families, communities and wildlife across Australia, the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 will use the Trophy Tour as a platform to promote bushfire emergency relief efforts, which includes encouraging the global cricket family to support fundraising through our charity partner UNICEF Australia. Read the statement here. Speaking at the Bondi launch, four-time ICC T20 World Cup winner Alyssa Healy said; “The build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup is the biggest that I’ve ever experienced before. You can feel that it’s going to be a special event and we can’t wait to face India in the opening match at Sydney Showground. India have been a bogey team for us at the last couple of World Cups, so we hope with a home crowd behind us, we can put that right and start the tournament on the right note.” The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Trophy Tour is driven by Nissan. Nissan has been a global partner of the International Cricket Council since 2015, and will provide a range of vehicles to move the trophy across the country. Managing Director of Nissan Australia, Stephen Lester said; “Nissan is proud to support the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Trophy Tour. We are delighted to help share the excitement of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup throughout Australia, by driving the trophy to all corners of the country” “We are honoured to support female sport on the global stage, and be part the tournament finale in March at the MCG that’s aiming to break global audience records for female sport.” ICC T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO Nick Hockley said; “The Trophy Tour is an opportunity for communities around Australia to be part of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Fans will get a unique chance to get up close with the trophy as it visits iconic landmarks, community events and schools.” “The tour will also provide a platform to celebrate trailblazing women around the country as we build-up towards the best cricketers in the world taking centre stage in venues around Australia.” “We have the opportunity to set a new benchmark for a women’s sporting event, so we’re calling on fans in Australia and around the world to get their tickets and be part of this amazing global momentum we are seeing in sport for women and girls.”

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (January 8, 2020):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the umpire and match referee appointments for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020, which will be staged in South Africa from 17 January to 9 February. Experienced umpires Wayne Knights and Ravindra Wimalasiri will take charge of the opening match of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after the officials for South Africa 2020 were confirmed. New Zealand’s Knights and Wimalasiri of Sri Lanka – who have taken charge of 71 ODI and T20I matches between them – will officiate when hosts South Africa play Afghanistan in the Kimberley opener on January 17. Rashid Riaz Waqar will be the TV umpire for the first of 48 games in the tournament, with a 19-strong team of match officials confirmed by the International Cricket Council. Among those taking charge will be veteran Ian Gould, whose esteemed senior international career came to an end when he retired during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 on home soil. The Englishman will join forces with Ahmad Shah Pakteen when India get the defence of their title underway against Sri Lanka in Bloemfontein, one of five group-stage matches he will officiate as on-field umpire. In all, 16 umpires from 12 different countries will be on the field for five matches each in the first stage of the U19 World Cup, with eight also performing the role of TV umpire. The list includes five umpires who looked after the 2019 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier late last year, including Sam Nogajski – who was on duty for the final between Papua New Guinea and Netherlands. The Australian will take the reins for an historic occasion, with Japan playing their very first match in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup when they face New Zealand in Potchefstroom. Iknow Chabi, of Zimbabwe, will join Nogajski out in the middle. Nigeria will become the 31st different team to take part in the event when they face Australia, the second-most successful side since the competition first began in 1988 as the Youth Cricket World Cup. Bangladesh umpire Masudur Rahman Mukul and Nigel Duguid, of West Indies, will be raising their finger in that match, on January 20 in Kimberley. The pool stages will also see an Ashes rivalry revisited at youth level, with Adrian Holdstock and Asif Yaqoob in the middle for Australia’s clash with England, also at Kimberley, three days later. The 16 umpires will be joined by three match referees for the duration of the tournament, with former Sri Lanka international Graeme Labrooy officiating alongside home official Shaid Wadvalla and England’s Phil Whitticase. ICC Senior Manager - Umpires and Referees, Adrian Griffith: “The U19 Cricket World Cup is a very important event in our calendar as it brings together the world’s most promising young players in a major ICC tournament, giving them the experience of competing on the global stage. “We are committed to appointing the finest officials available and I have every confidence in the team travelling to South Africa for the U19 Cricket World Cup they will do a fine job. I wish them all the best.” Umpire and match referee appointments for the knockout stages will be announced after the teams have been confirmed. The appointments for the Plate and Super League final will be finalised after the semi-finals. The officials for the tournament are: Umpires: Roland Black, Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Sam Nogajski, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Ian Gould, Wayne Knights, Rashid Riaz Waqar, Anil Chaudhary, Patrick Bongani Jele, Iknow Chabi, Nigel Duguid, Ravindra Wimalasiri, Masudur Rahman Mukul, Asif Yaqoob, Leslie Reifer, Adrian Holdstock Match Referees: Graeme Labrooy, Shaid Wadvalla, Phil Whitticase

SB News Lausanne, Switzerland: This coming weekend sees the return of the FIH Hockey Pro League, with the second season getting off to a flying start as inaugural women’s champions the Netherlands begin their title defence with two away games against China. The opening fixtures, which take place at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 January, are the first of 144 matches that will be contested between January and June 2020, with the world’s finest men’s and women’s international teams fighting for the chance to win the respective titles. The first edition of this trailblazing competition took place in 2019 and featured some fantastic hockey moments, with home fans embracing the opportunity to witness their national teams testing themselves against the world’s best on home soil. The 2020 edition is set to be equally significant. Twenty venues in 11 countries will host FIH Hockey Pro League matches this year, providing a global spread of world-class hockey across multiple time-zones over the next six months. The fact that 16 of the 18 competing teams will also feature at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 adds even more spice to an event that is, as 2019 proved, rarely short of excitement. All of the competing teams will be acutely aware that a strong showing in the FIH Hockey Pro League would provide a significant boost to confidence levels going into the XXXII Olympiad. Reflecting on last year’s inaugural edition, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said that the event had “allowed the sport of hockey to showcase itself like never before”, as growing stadium, broadcast and live streaming audiences were entertained on a weekly basis by shock results, sensational team performances and extraordinary individual achievements. However, despite being understandably delighted with many aspects of the first edition, Dr Batra believes that the learnings from season one will make for an even better second edition. “It is not in our nature to maintain the status quo by simply standing still”, said the FIH President. “The 2020 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League sees the introduction of a new match schedule, splitting home and away matches over two consecutive seasons to create a series of ‘double headers’ throughout the competition. This is an important move in terms of player welfare and sustainability, significantly reducing travel fatigue and environmental impact by cutting the number of flights by half, which in turn substantially lowers travel and accommodation costs for the competing teams.” Another change from the inaugural edition is the removal of the end-of-season Grand Final event, with the respective men’s and women’s champions of 2020 being the teams that have accumulated the highest number of points by the end of the competition. The FIH Hockey Pro League welcomes another powerhouse of international hockey to the competition this year, with India men (FIH World Ranking: 5) joining the fold. The eight-times Olympic champions will play their home matches at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the 15,000-capacity venue that so wonderfully staged the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. India will be keen to impress in a competition that features the nine highest ranked teams in the world, with Pro League title holders and Oceania champions Australia (WR:1), World and European champions Belgium (2), Olympic champions Argentina (WR:4), the Netherlands (WR:3), Germany (WR: 6), Great Britain (WR:7), Spain (WR:8) and New Zealand (WR:9) all involved.   It comes as little surprise that the Netherlands (WR:1), the reigning World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League champions, are seen very much as the team to beat in the women’s competition. However, they are certain to be pushed all the way by the eight other teams who are determined to wrestle the trophy from their grasp. 2019 Pro League silver medallists Australia (WR:2) – the only team to defeat the Netherlands in the inaugural edition – could well be the team most likely, while Pan American Games champions Argentina (WR:3), European silver medallists Germany (WR:4), Olympic champions Great Britain (WR:5), Oceania champions New Zealand (WR:6), China (WR:10), Belgium (WR:12) and USA (WR:13) will all be looking to make their mark. China v Netherlands (W) Where: Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN) When: 11 & 12 January 2019, Both matches at 14:00 local time (GMT/UTC+8) The essentials… Current FIH World Rankings: China: 10 | Netherlands: 1 Final standings - FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: China: 7 | Netherlands: 1 

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (January 7, 2020);-Zubair Tahir and Ashan Ramzan qualified for the final of Jubillee Insurance Juniors Under-16 National Snooker Championship 202 after winning their respective semifinals at Pakistan Sports Complex Snooker Hall Islamabad on Tuesday. Results (Quarterfinals): Zubair Tahir (Punjab) beat Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) 4-2 (77-42, 61-62, 71-23, 26-75, 68-11, 64-09) Faheem Liaquat (KPK) beat Shabban Butt (Punjab) 4-1 (55-44, 33-59, 63-11, 73-06, 39-29) Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) beat Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK) 4-0 (46-28, 53-52, 68-18, 91-17) Zain Ali (Punjab) beat Adnan Aslam (Punjab) 4-3 (49-7, 54-56, 47-69, 49-11, 57-13, 55-66, 89-45) Results (Semifinals): Zubair Tahir (Punjab) beat Faheem Liaquat (KPK) 4-0 (59-30, 37-24, 73-19, 69-37) Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) beat Zain Ali (Punjab) 4-0 (78-1, 61-57, 69-13, 71-2)    

SB News LAHORE (January 7, 2020):-Batting and wicketkeeping prodigy Rohail Nazir will be leading Pakistan in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020. But, four years ago, the Islamabad-born was not sure whether he had what it took to thrive in competitive cricket. Like numerous cricket stars in the country, his ‘love affair’ with the game had begun by playing tape-ball cricket in his neighbourhood. He took inspiration from his elder brother, Tahir Nazir, who is one of the prominent tape-ball players and growing up Rohail wanted to emulate his brother’s heroics with the bat. He shifted his focus to wicketkeeping on the advice of his coach while starting off his career. But, the start was not a rosy one. In 2015, Rohail was left disheartened after failing his first-ever PCB-Pepsi U16 trials. Next year, he returned again, and left with a thumping impression. In the PCB-Pepsi U16 two-day tournament in 2016, Rohail made 394 runs in four matches which earned him a spot in the U16 series against Australia in the UAE in 2017. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands; hitting two centuries in three innings in the one-day series on his way to 258 series runs. In three T20 matches, he accumulated 99 runs with the help of one half-century. He carried his good form over to the National U19 Inter-Regional One-Day Tournament 2017. In eight matches, he scored 406 runs at 67.67. In the three-day version, Rohail scored 508 runs in five matches with the help of one century and four half-centuries, averaging 63.50. In 2018, Rohail Nazir made his debut in first-class cricket. And, last year in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2019-20, he scored 320 runs in the six matches he played, including two fifties in the final. In his team Northern’s first innings, Rohail scored a fighting 80 (115 balls, 12 fours) to rescue his side with a 155-run partnership with Faizan Riaz after they had collapsed to 69 for five. Rohail followed his first innings heroics with a 96-ball 70 with the help of nine fours.  Rohail’s admires Ahmed Shehzad and wants to pick his brains on the art of batsmanship. His favourite cricketer is AB de Villiers and has been mentored by Imad Wasim, with whom he used to practice in Islamabad. He enjoys playing the ball off the backfoot and the shot which he enjoys the most is the backfoot punch. Rohail Nazir on his early days, interest and ambition in cricket: “I aspired of becoming a cricketing star in my childhood and my family supported me from the beginning which made things easy for me. “I had failed in the 2015 PCB-Pepsi U16 trials which broke my heart. At that time I felt my strength is tape-ball cricket and maybe I would need to stick to that as hard-ball cricket was not meant for me. But on the insistence of my brothers and friends, I gave trials the next year and succeeded. “My performances against Australia U16 gave me tremendous confidence. Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim, who also hails from Islamabad, has been a great support to me. We used to practice at the Diamond Cricket Club in Islamabad and Imad used to encourage me a lot and used to praise me on my performances at various levels.” Rohail is already a sought-after property in the HBL Pakistan Super League. After having spent a season with Islamabad United, Rohail has been picked-up by Multan Sultans for the 2020 edition of the prestigious T20 league. The wicketkeeper-batsman has already represented Pakistan in ACC Youth U19 Asia Cup 2017, 2018 and 2019 besides playing the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 in New Zealand. Arguably, the biggest moment of Rohail’s short career to date came in the recent ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup final in Bangladesh when his century against the hosts helped Pakistan annex the title. Rohail has also held his own in senior cricket, besides scoring a century for Islamabad Region against HBL on his first-class debut (130 off 194 balls, 15 fours, one six), Rohail has had impressive returns in Patron’s Trophy Grade II, National T20 Cup and Quaid-e-Azam One-Day Cup. Having featured in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 besides his numerous appearances for Pakistan’s representative and age-group sides, Rohail will enter the 2020 edition of the U19 World Cup as one of the most experienced and established players at this level. Pakistan ICC U19 Cricket World Cup squad: Rohail Nazir (captain and wicketkeeper), Abbas Afridi (Peshawar), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), - Amir Ali (Larkana), Amir Khan (Peshawar), Arish Ali Khan (Karachi), Fahad Munir (Lahore),  Haider Ali (vice-captain), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Mohammad Haris (Peshawar), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot), Mohammad Irfan Khan (Lahore),  Mohammad Shehzad (Multan), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (North Waziristan), Tahir Hussain (Multan) Team management:-Ijaz Ahmed (head coach-cum-manager), Rao Iftikhar Anjum (bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (trainer), Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rasul (physiotherapist), Usman Hashmi (analyst), Emmad Ahmed Hameed (media manager) and Col (retd) Usman Riffat Anwari (security manager).

SB News KARACHI (January 7, 2020):-In a bid to prepare for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, a three-team T20 tournament will be held at Karachi’s National Stadium from Thursday. The National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship is an eight-day-long tournament, in which PCB Blasters, PCB Challengers and PCB Dynamites will come face to face for national glory. The final, to be played on 16 January, will be played under floodlights. To maximise the reach of the women’s game, the contest will be live-streamed on the PCB’s YouTube channel. To provide opportunities to fans to watch the action up-close and promote the game amongst girls, Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad enclosures will be opened throughout the tournament with free entry for spectators. The winning team will bag PKR500,000, while the runners-up will get PKR250,000. The best performer of the tournament, the player of the championship, will be awarded PKR25,000 and the player of the match, for every game, will get PKR10,000. Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of the national women’s selection committee, said: “The upcoming T20 tournament provides a great opportunity to the players to prepare for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. This is also an opportunity for all the participating players to leave a mark and put forward their case for the selection. “The decision to play the final of the tournament under lights is taken to emulate the conditions in the T20 World Cup as Pakistan will be playing two of their four group matches under floodlights. “The profile of women’s cricket has grown over the past few years and the decision to live-stream the final is going to attract more fans towards the game.” Schedule: Thursday, 9 Jan: PCB Blasters v PCB Dynamites, 12pm – Match referee: Ahmer Saeed, On-field umpires: Khalid Mahmood Snr and Nazir Butt Friday, 10 Jan: PCB Blasters v PCB Challengers, 12pm – Match referee: Ali Gohar, On-field umpires: Imtiaz Iqbal and Saleema Imtiaz Saturday, 11 Jan: PCB Dynamites v PCB Challengers, 12pm – Match referee: Athar Liaq, On-field umpires: Alay Haider and Abdul Qayyum Sunday, 12 Jan: PCB Dynamites v PCB Blasters, 12pm – Match referee: Amiruddin Ansari, On-field umpires: Shamim Ansari and Shakeel Ahmed Monday, 13 Jan: PCB Challengers v PCB Blasters, 12pm – Match referee: Aleem Moosa, On-field umpires: Tahir Rasheed and Azizur Rehman Tuesday, 14 Jan: PCB Challengers v PCB Dynamites, 12pm – Match referee: Mohammad Javed, On-field umpires: Imran Jawed and Nuzhat Sultana Thursday, 16 Jan: FINAL, 7pm – Match referee: Iftikhar Ahmed, On-field umpires: Khalid Mahmood Snr and Imtiaz Iqbal Squads: PCB Blasters - Rameen Shamim (c), Aliya Riaz, Anum Amin, Ayesha Nasim, Hurraini Sajjad, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Maham Tariq, Natalia Pavaiz, Neha Sharmin Nadeem, Noreen Yaqoob, Sadaf Shams, Sidra Nawaz and Tuba Hassan Team officials – Waqar Orakzai (coach), Shakir Qayyum (assistant coach), Mahlaka Mansoor (manager) and Riffat Asghar Gill (Physiotherapist) PCB Challengers - Bismah Maroof (c), Aiman Anwar, Aroob Shah, Ayesha Zafar, Fatima Sana, Hafsa Khalid, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nida Dar, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Waheeda Akhtar, Hafsa Amjad and Khadija Chishti Team officials – Amir Iqbal (coach), Shahid Mehmood (assistant coach), Aisha Jalil (manager) and Saima Malik (physiotherapist) PCB Dynamites – Nahida Khan (c), Diana Baig, Fareeha Mehmood, Ghulam Fatima, Irum Javed, Kainat Hafeez, Kainat Imtiaz, Lubna Behram, Masooma Jaffri, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin and Umme Hani Team officials – Kamran Hussain (coach), Ali Niazi (assistant coach), Rabail Khalid (manager) and Sajida Fajar (physiotherapist)

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 7, 2020):-The wheelchair marathon race will be taken place in capital city Islamabad on January 9, 2020, said an official of organizing committee Agha Hussnain Raza on Tuesday. Pakistan Sport Council of Person with Disabilities (PSCPD) in collaboration with Saaya Association of Persons with Disabilities, Milestone, Disabled Welfare Association and Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) will stage this event, which will also be supported by Handicap International (HI) and UN-WOMEN. The race will be held on Thursday morning from 10:00am to 12:00Pm at F-10 Roundabout near Macdonald. The athletes from twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad will take part in the marathon race and trophies and other prizes will be distributed among the special athletes at closing ceremony.