Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Championship, Aisam and Aqeel win Men’s Double title By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 19, 2019):-Ace national players Aisam-ul Haq pairing with Aqeel Khan on Thursday won the Double Men’s Event of Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Championship by beating Mohammad Sohaib and Huzaifa Rehman 2-0 in the final at Islamabad Tennis Complex. The final score-line was 6-3 and 6-3. Results: Men Singles (Quarterfinals): Aqeel Khan beat Yousaf Khalil 6-3, 6-3 Ahmed Choudhry beat Shezad Khan 6-4, 6-2 Muzamil Murtaza beat Huzaifa A Murtaza 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 Heera Ashiq beat Aman Atiq 6-2, 6-1   Men Doubles final Matches: AisamulHaq/Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Sohiab/Huzaifa A Rehman 6-3, 6-3   Boys Under-18 (Pre Quaterfinal): Subhan bin Saliq beat Nalain Abbas 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 Aqib Hayat beat Osama Khan 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 Mohammad Shoaib beat M.ohammad Huzaifa Khan 6-1, 6-1 Boys Under-14 (pre-quarterfinals): Huzaima A Rehman beat Kamran Khan 4-2, 4-1 Uzair Khan beat Ahtesham Humayun 4-2, 4-0 Ahmad Niel beat Taimoor Khan 4-0, 4-1 Hamid Israr beat Ali Zain 4-0, 4-2 Hamza Asim beat Husnain Rizwan 4-1, 5-4(1) Haider Ali Rizwan beat Yahya Musa Luni 4-1, 4-1 Mahatir Mohammad beat Shasawar Khan 4-1 5-3, Ladies Singles (Pre-quaterfinals): Sara Mansoor w/o Sara Rehman Mehak Khokhar beat Mahnoor Sohail 6-0, 6-1 Mahvish Chisti beat SaherAleem 6-0, 6-1 Mariam Mirza beat Mahrukh Farooqui 6-2, 6-1 Mahin Aftab beat Nida Akram 6-0, 6-0 Boys/Girls(pre-quarterfinals): Haniya Minhas w/o Rayan Saud Hamza Roman beat LalarukhSajid 4-0, 4-0 Asad Zaman beat Sohail Afzal 3-5, 4-0, 4-0 Boys/Girls Under -10 (prequarterfinals): Haniya Minhas bea tMohammad Shayan 4-0, 4-0 Haziq Asim beat Saqib Ali 4-1, 4-1 Nabeel Qayum beat Hassan Usmani 5-4(10), 2-4, 5-4 Amir Mazari beat Zunaisha Noor 4-0, 4-0 Ammar Masood beat Abdul Wasay 4-0, 4-0 Men Doubles (45+): Imran Ahmed/Azeem Khan beat Isrargul/ Jahanzeb Khan 6-3, 6-4 Col Shahid/Col Aqeel Kiyani beat Ali Qayum/GulHameed 6-3, 6-0.

International squash tournament, Tayyab Aslam clinches the title By Abdul Jabbar Faisal  ISLAMABAD (December 19, 2019):-Pakistan number one and World No 60, Tayyab Aslam clinched the title of International Squash Tournament after beating compatriot World No 91 Farhan Mehboob in straight games 3-0 in the final at Mushaf Squash Complex on Thursday. The final score-line was 11-8, 13-11, 11-4. In the first game, Tayyab took good start after played powerful forehands shots and make the score 5-1. However, Farhan came from behind and displayed a quality game and leveled the game 5-5 after earning back-to-back four points. The game was once again leveled at 8-8, which finished 11-8 in the favour of Tayyab, as he got three points in a row. Later on, in the second game, winner was a head at 7-0 with massive lead but Farhan did some well and played excellent stokes and classic drop shorts and squared the game 8-8 points. At this stage, it was seemed that Farhan would won the second game to level the match 1-1 but all predictions went wrong, when Pakistan number one Tayyab won the game on tiebreak at 13-11. After losing first two vital games, Farhan was looking bit tired and was looking upset with the last game decision of match referee. Tayyab took full advantage of this situation and did not allow his opponent to settle his feet in the court and ended the third game by conceding just four points in the final fight. The match wasted 40 minutes, as the final score-line was 11-8, 13-11 and 11-4. Earlier, at the same venue, in Women’s final, World No 52 Sabrina Sobhy from United States of America (USA) beat World No 101 Hana Moataz from Egypt in straight games 3-0 with a game score of 11-7, 11-9, 11-9. The match lasted for 30 minutes.   Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Asim Zaheer graced the closing ceremony as chief guest and awarded the prizes and trophies amongst the winners. Champion Tayyab Aslam collected the prize money of US$2531 along with a glittering and beautiful trophy. CEO Serena Hotels Aziz Bolani, squash legend Qamar Zaman, dignitaries and a large number of players, officials and squash enthusiasts also attended the closing ceremony.  Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) organized Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International Squash Tournament for men’s and women’s from December 15 to 19, 2019. Besides Pakistan, a large number of international Men & Women squash players from Austria, Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong, Jordon, Malaysia, Portugal, Switzerland and USA participated.  

SB News Kuala Lumpur( December 19 2019):-Amy Jones’ career-best score of 89 and Danni Wyatt’s 55 set an 84-run win for England Women over Pakistan Women in the second T2oI at Kuala Lumpur’s Kinrara Oval on Thursday. With this victory, England went 2-0 up in the three-match series. The Heather Knight-led side scored an imposing 185 for five after winning the toss thanks to a profound 120-run opening stand by Jones and Wyatt, who was playing her 100th T20I. Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Anam Amin provided the hosts a breakthrough on the second ball of the 12th over with the wicket of Wyatt, who hit eight fours and two sixes in her 36-ball stay at the crease. Danni Wyatt said: “I’m really happy to have made 100 caps. There have been a lot of highs and lows along the way but I’ve enjoyed the journey, and it means a lot to get here. “It’s great batting with Amy and we were happy to get us off to a good start. We’d have liked one of us to go on and get a hundred but it was a decent total. “It’s tricky with the ball when the chase begins to be unlikely, but the bowlers stayed really disciplined and kept their standards high.” Jones, coming into the match at the back of a 53 in the last game, kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid rate, smashing 11 fours and three sixes, before her dismissal on the penultimate ball of the 17th over. The wicketkeeper-batter stayed on the crease for 52 balls. For her towering batting effort, Jones bagged her second consecutive player of the match award Anam and Nida Dar were the notable performers with the ball with two wickets each for 30 and 33 runs respectively. In their reply, Pakistan lost three wickets in the Powerplay as the scorecard read 31 for three after six overs. Their problems compounded when Pakistan lost Javeria Khan (10 off 16) and Nida Dar (0 off 2) in three balls that left Pakistan reeling at 39 for five in 8.2 overs. With the required run-rate surging every over, Pakistan batters struggled to put up a fight. They managed 101 for nine in 20 overs. With 38 runs from 35 balls, Iram Javed top scored for Pakistan. The right-handed batter hit four sixes and a four. Iram Javed said: “England batters made the most of the conditions after winning the toss. They were able to add 25-30 runs extra on board. We lost some wickets early on in the run-chase which kept us from scoring at a quicker rate. “My aim was to prolong my stay at the crease and stitch partnerships to help the team recover from that position. But, our wickets kept falling on regular intervals.” Sophie Ecclestone was the stand out bowler with two wickets for just five runs in three overs - one of which was a maiden. Katherine Brunt and Mady Villiers also took two wickets, while the rest of the three wickets were shared equally between Natalie Sciver, Freya Davies and Sarah Glenn. The last T20I will be played on Thursday. Scores in brief: England Women 185-5, 20 overs (Amy Jones 89, Danni Wyatt 55; Anam Amin 2-30, Nida Dar 2-33) Pakistan Women 101-9, 20 overs (Iram Javed 38; Sophie Ecclestone 2-5, Katherine Brunt 2-19, Mady Villiers 2-21) Result: England Women won by 84 runs

THE MCC: MCC to tour Pakistan in 2020 SB Report ISLAMABAD:-:It has been confirmed that the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) would be sending a touring squad to Pakistan in 2020. Captained by current MCC President Kumar Sangakkara, the Club will send a team to Lahore in February next year, playing a number of matches in the city.  The concept of a tour to Pakistan has been a long-stated aim of the MCC World Cricket committee, with its Members having expressed an interest in helping Pakistan during the country’s exile from hosting international cricket.  Following an attack on the touring Sri Lanka team’s bus in Lahore in 2009, Pakistan’s home Test matches have been played on neutral territory, until very recently, as a two-Test series between the sides – part of the World Test Championship – began last week. At the MCC World Cricket committee meeting held at Lord’s in August, the WCC re-affirmed their support in seeing touring sides return to Pakistan – with security analysis being a prerequisite – following a presentation and discussion with  Wasim Khan, the Chief Executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).  It was agreed that MCC would consider touring Pakistan in the future and following a full investigation into security measures, and assessment into the viability of the trip, the Club can confirm they have accepted an invitation from the PCB to tour in February. Guy Lavender, MCC Chief Executive & Secretary said: “The people of Pakistan have been starved of seeing their team play at home for a decade and it is wonderful to see that Test cricket has recently returned to the country. “As a Club, one of MCC’s priorities is to maintain its global relevance on the game by supporting countries in their provision for cricket, and we are united with the global game in wanting to see international teams returning to play in Pakistan. “Of course the predominant focus has been assessing the relative safety and security considerations, and we are working closely with the PCB to manage a robust security plan to ensure the tour can take place.”  Kumar Sangakkara, MCC President, said: “It is hugely important to support cricket in countries such as Pakistan, and the PCB has done a tremendous job in rebuilding the international cricketing landscape since the tragic events of 2009. “I am excited to be captaining MCC on the tour to Pakistan. With international cricket having returned for the first time in a decade, it is wonderful the Club is doing its part to strengthen cricket in Pakistan and I look forward to being part of the trip.” Wasim Khan, Chief Executive of the PCB said: “Following months of dialogue, and the opportunity to put Pakistan’s compelling case forward to the prestigious and important MCC World Cricket committee, I am delighted that MCC has confirmed that it will send a touring team to Lahore in February.  “The decision by the world’s oldest and most influential cricket club to send a quality team is further testament that Pakistan is as safe and secure a country as any other cricket-playing nation in the world, and MCC’s tour is a further step forward in normalising team tours to Pakistan. “The PCB looks forward to welcoming the MCC cricket team and we fully expect the squad to have a thoroughly enjoyable time.” All of MCC’s matches on the tour will be played at Aitcheson College in Lahore. Guy Lavender will be the Team Manager of the squad, and MCC Head Coach Ajmal Shahzad will coach the group. About Marylebone Cricket Club MCC is the world’s most active cricket club, the owner of Lord’s Ground and the guardian of the Laws and Spirit of the game. Founded in 1787, it is recognised as the sole authority on the game’s Laws and moved to its current home in St John’s Wood in 1814. There are approximately 18,000 Full and 5,000 Associate Members of MCC. About Lord’s Cricket GroundThe first match ever played at ‘Lord’s Cricket Ground’ was in 1787, when businessman Thomas Lord set up a new ground in what was then known as Dorset Fields. Moving twice since then – in 1811 and 1814 – Lord’s Ground has resided at its current location in St John’s Wood for over 200 years. Lord’s has hosted both the Men’s and Women’s ICC Cricket Cup World Finals in 2017 and 2019 respectively, with England crowned World Champions as they played in front of sell-out crowds on each occasion. This summer Lord’s hosted five ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup matches including the Final, which saw England claim victory over New Zealand in a dramatic super over creating sporting history as ‘the greatest cricket match ever played’. Lord’s also staged a historic first Test match between England and Ireland in July, as well as selling out all five days of the England and Australia Test match in August.

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-National Bank of Pakistan T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy (Grade-2) commenced at Attock Cricket Stadium, Attock on Wednesday. Ali Hanan Qamar Deputy Commissioner Attock, Akhtar Munir, Regional Head National Bank of Pakistan, Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council inaugurated the event. 1st match of the event was played between Attock and Abbottabad. Attock won the toss and decided to bat first. On wet conditions, batting first after winning the toss was a brave move and as fortune favors the brave so do with Attock. Their openers Ahtesham and Muhammad Bilal flatten the Abbottabad bowling and piled up huge total of 286 runs without any loss in allotted 20 overs. Ahtesham made unbeaten 150 runs off 74 balls and Bilal made 87 runs not out off 60 balls. Abbottabad in reply made only 212 for the loss of 4 wickets.  Riasat Khan remained top scorer with 96 runs. Mohammad Sohail was the only bowler to pick wicket. Result: Attock won by 74 runs Man of the Match: Ahtesham ul Haq Game-2 Quetta won the toss and decided to bowl first. Faisalabad posted 213 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in stipulated 20 Overs. Ijaz Ali was their star with 104 runs off (57 balls) and Bilal Hasan made 38 runs. Abdul Rasheed was the only bowler to claim a wicket. Quetta in reply chased the target in 19th  over of the innings for the loss of 4 wickets.  Nemat Ullah Khan made unbeaten 86 runs and Abdul Rasheed made 49 runs not out. Noman, Sanaullah and Danish Ali claimed a wicket a piece. Result: Quetta won by 6 wickets Man of the Match: Nemat Ullah Khan Game-3: Sargodha won the toss and decided to bowl first. Hyderabad made 180 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in allotted 20 overs. Amjad made 66 runs. Sargodha in reply chased down the target rapidly in just 8 overs without any loss. Gul Sheer’s bat sung wildly and smashed unbeaten 108 runs off just 38 balls. Zain was the other batter to remain unbeaten on 43 runs. Result: Sargodha won by 10 wickets Man of the Match: Gul Sheer Game-4: Multan won the toss and decided to bat first. Multan batsmen smashed 301 runs in stipulated 20 overs for the loss of 3 wickets. Muhammad Safdar played brilliantly and made 115 runs off 40 balls, Hafiz Abdul Razzaq scored 52 runs off 24 balls and Akbar made 61 off 31 balls. Sheikopura in reply made 172 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in stipulated 20 Overs. Iman Ullah was their best scorer with 41 runs.  Abdul Razzaq took 2 wickets while Akbar, Shahbaz and Saleem claimed a wicket each Result: Multan won by 129 runs                Man of the Match: Muhammad Safdar

International squash events build the soft image of Pakistan, Tahir Sultan By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-(December 19, 2019):-Secretary, Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Tahir Sultan thanked Professional Squash Association (PSA) for awarding a $20,000 prize money tournament to Pakistan, which would help local players to show their game skills at home. He also thanked on the behalf of SVP, PSF for giving massive coverage to international squash show peace at Mushaf Squash Complex. “I thank to media on the behalf of senior vice President because without media coverage these events have no worth. We conducted the events to give opportunity to players to play here and for people who can come here to enjoy these events, “he said while talking to 23 News at Mushaf Squash Complex. He said that the most important aspect of these events was image building of Pakistan. “These events are being telecast all over the world. Players of the different countries like, America, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Egypt, Portugal, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and all over the world are participating. Eight men players and our 13 women players were from the Pakistan. International fixtures show that players of the other countries want to play in Pakistan and Pakistan is a safe country by the blessings of Allah Almighty, “Tahir Sultan viewed.  “PSF is providing all opportunities to upcoming players for national and international exposure. The squash development program is going good. An Under-19 player Gul Zaman is a brilliant player, he has a great upset and his ranking is going to be improve more and he has also beat the champion of this games. We are happy with his performance and it shows that if the opportunities have been given to our players then they can perform better than this, “He added.  To a question, he said that Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) supported well during the international events for men and women. “Sareena Hotels is always sponsoring us for the events, all players’ stays there. Akbar Durani and Director General PSB, Amna Imran helped us well. Definitely, we are being supported but financial support is much important as well. All facilities of PSB and government also wants that sports should be flourished in Pakistan .Our players have won the medals in South Asian Games 2019. Federation is providing all these facilities, now it is players’ job to work for the improvement of their fitness and game skills, “he concluded.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 18, 2019):-Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Mehboob set to meet in the Men’s Singles final of Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International squash tournament after claiming upset victories in the semifinals at Mushaf Squash Complex on Wednesday. Final will be played on Thursday at same venue. President, Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Air Chief Marshall, Mujahid Anwar will grace the closing ceremony as chief gust. On Tuesday, in the first semifinal, Farhan Mehboob thrashed top seeded Egyptian players Youssef Ibrahim 3-2 in a well contested match. Local outfit Farhan gave a tough time to his overseas opponent in first two games that he lost at 9-11 and 14-16 and he came from behind and recover the deficit by winning the next two at 11-2 and 11-5 to bounce back in the match. Final game went neck-to-neck and score was leveled at 5-5, 7-7 and then 10-10. On tiebreak Farhan, who had massive support of Pakistani spectators, finished the game at 12-10. Match lasted 50 minutes. Meanwhile, in the second semifinal, World No 60 Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) outclassed World No 51 Mohamed El-Sherbini (Egypt) 3-1 to move into final of the international showpiece. The final score-line was 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, as the match lasted for 46 minutes. Tayyab Aslam will meet compatriot Farhan Mehboob in the final on Thursday at same venue. Earlier, in the 1st semifinal of the women’s fixture, World No 101 Hana Moataz (Egypt) got rid of compatriot girl World No 56 Farida Mohamed (Egypt) 3-2 in most thrilling match of event. Hana went up by winning first two games at 11-7 and 11-2 but her challenger Farida Mohamed settled her feet on the court and clinched next two games at 11-9 and 11-3. However, in the decisive game, both players displayed great skills of game. At one stage, Farida was leading 5-0 but couple of miss judgment decisions of match referee Sajjad Ahmed provided a chance to Hana to go in the final fixture. Score was squared at 7-7 and 9-9. Hana won the final game at 14-12, as people were criticizing the final decision of Sajjad Ahmed. Farida Mohamed was sobbing and crying outside the court and was talking over her mobile to her family member. But she did not make any comment on this issue. In the second semifinal, World No 52 Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat World No 58 Meena Hamed (Egypt) in straight games 3-0. The final score-line was 11-6, 11-9, 11-6, as the match lasted for 23 minutes. Final will be played on Thursday.   Results (Men’s semifinals): Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) beat Youssef Ibrahim (Egypt) 8-11, 14-16, 11-2, 11-5, 12-10 (50 minutes) Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) beat Mohamed ElSherbini (Egypt) 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9 (46 minutes) Results (Women’s semifinals): Hana Moataz (Egypt) beat Farida Mohamed (Egypt) 11-7, 11-2, 9-11, 3-11, 14-12 (36 minutes) Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat Meena Hamed (Egypt) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (23 minutes).   

Aisam-ul-Haq to participate in the Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Tournament By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Hameed-ul-Haq and Ahmed Choudhary have won their match on Tuesday in the 5th Benazir Bhutto National Tennis Tournament 2019 at Islamabad Tennis Complex G-6 Islamabad. Results (Men Singles Round-1): Barkat ullah beat Nauman Aftab 6-4, 6-1 Hameed ul Haq beat Ahmed Kamil 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Ahmed Choudhry beat Khursheed Abbassi 6-0, 6-2 Shezad Khan beat Ibrahim omer 6-0, 6-2 Yousaf Khan beat Rashid Malik 6-1, 6-4. Men Doubles (Round-2): Muzzamil Murtaza/Muddassir Murtaza beat Rashid Malik/Sikandar Hayat 6-2, 6-2 Aisam ul Haq Qureshi/Aqeel Khan beat Col Shahid/Usman Ejaz 6-1, 6-1. Boy’s Under-18: Mahatir Mohammad beat Ahtesham Arif 6-2, 6-2 Mohammad Shoib w/o Afham Rana Farman Shakeel beat Sami Zeb 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 Uzair Khan beat Hasan Ali 6-3, 6-4 Nalain Abbas beat Parbat Kumar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 Hamid Israr w/o Abdul Hanan Khan Osama Khan beat Zain ch 6-0, 6-0 Noor e Mustafa beat Kashan Umer 6-0, 6-1 Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Ahmed Nael 6-3, 6-0 Hasheesh Kumar beat Talha Khan 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 Faizan Shahid bt Hamza Asim 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 Aqib Hayat beat Yahya Musa Luni 6-3, 6-0.   Boys/Girls 1st round U-12: Ali Zain beat Marukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Ali beat Orhan Sohail 4-0, 4-1 Ahtesham Humayun beat Shahsawar Khan 4-1, 4-0   Boys/Girls 1st round U-10: Han li De w/o Jamal Shah Haziq Asim beat Aqtan Bekeshov 4-0, 4-0 Hamza Roman beat Lalarukh Sajid 4-0, 4-0 Abdul Wasay W/O Anees Ahmed Mohammad Shayan w/o Hamad Shah

International squash, Tayyab and Farhan jump into semifinals By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Duo of Pakistani players Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Mehboob jumped into the semifinals of Serena Hotels-Huawei Pakistan International squash tournament by overcoming their respective opponents in quarterfinals at Mushaf Squash Complex on Tuesday. Semifinals will be played on Wednesday in the four-glass-wall court of same arena. In the first men’s quarterfinal, Pakistani guy Asim Khan succumbed by the high ranking Egyptian player Youssef Ibrahim 3-1 after a thrilling contest. Match was leveled 1-1 after two games, as the score was 13-11 and 11-13 respectively. Asim was looking bit tired in the rest of two games and allow his opponent to play strokes openly. He lost next two games at 5-11 and 9-11, as he had upper hand in both game in starting. Meanwhile, in the second quarterfinal, Farhan Mehboob displayed excellent skills of the game and did not allow his compatriot Farhan Zaman to settle the feet in the court and won the match 3-1. Son of Mehboob Khan’s game was a blend of powerful forehands, backhands and classic nicks during 20 minutes game. The final score-line was 11-2, 4-11, 11-5 and 11-3. Now, Farhan will take on top seed Youssef in the semifinals on Wednesday. In the third quarterfinal, Pakistan number one player Tayyab Aslam overcame Yahya Elnawasany from Egypt in straight games 3-0 in just wasting 20 minutes in the court. Mohammad El-Sherbini beat Rui Soares from Portugal in same style 3-0 in the fourth quarterfinal. In the second semifinal Tayyab will meet Mohammad El-Sherbini.    Results (Men’s Event):-  YoussefIbrahim (Egypt) beat Mohammad Asim Khan (Pakistan) 13-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-9 (44 Min) Farhan Mehboob (Pakistan) beat FarhanZaman (Pakistan) 11-2, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3 (20 Min)  Tayyab Aslam (Pakistan) beat Yahya Elnawasany (Egypt) 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (20 Min) Mohamed ElSherbini (Egypt)beat Rui Soares (Portugal) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (34 Min) Results (Women’s Event):         HanaMoataz (Egypt) beat Farah Momen (Egypt) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (25 Min) Farida Mohamed(Egypt) beat Waen Li Lai (Malaysia) 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 15-13, 11-8 (40 Min) Meena Hamed (Egypt) beat Cindy Merlo (Switzerland) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 (32 Min)  Sabrina Sobhy (USA) beat Nadia Pfister (Switzerland) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (16 Min).  

England beat Pakistan by 29 runs in first T20 Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2019):-Bismah Maroof’s gutsy half-century was in vain as England Women beat Pakistan Women by 29 runs in the first of the three T20Is at Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. The Pakistan captain scored a 58-ball 60, hitting five fours. Pakistan lost both openers in the first five balls of the run chase as the scorecard read one for two at the end of the first over. The problems compounded when they lost two wickets in the last three balls of the Powerplay, which left them reeling at 47 for four. Bismah, over the course of her 11th T2oI half-century, led the rearguard effort by knitting a 46-run partnership with Umaima Sohail, who hit two fours and a six in her 14-ball 21, while her 60-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz (22 off 24) brought Pakistan closer to victory. She was the last Pakistan wicket as the hosts were bowled out on 125 in 18.4 overs. England’s Sophie Ecclestone shone with the ball taking three wickets for 21 runs, while the other notable performance came from Freya Davis, who took two wickets at the cost of 18 runs. Reflecting on her innings and the match, Bismah Maroof said: “I was looking to keep the scoreboard ticking by targeting bad balls and rotating the strike. My target was to stay at the crease till the end. “It was a batting-friendly wicket and we missed the trick by not constructing lengthy partnerships. We are doing well in bits and pieces but we are unable to make the most of the chances that we get. “I am backing these girls to bounce back in the next match as this unit has put remarkable performances in the past. This match has given the group the belief that we can chase down targets. There were some lapses in the fielding department today and we will try to cut them in the next two matches.” That England had scored an imposing 154 for four, after being put into bat, was largely due to a blistering 39-ball 53 by wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones. Over the course of her second half-century in the format, Jones, who struck 10 fours, provided a solid foundation. She knitted a 58-run partnership for the second-wicket with Tammy Beaumont (30 off 29) which helped England recover from an early dismissal of Danni Wyatt, who made run-a-ball six, in the fourth over. Speaking about her innings, Amy Jones said: “It's not an easy pitch to score quickly on, and I think the opening few overs are probably the best time to bat. “Pakistan were disciplined with the ball and they didn't make it easy so I think we did well to get up to 160, but we perhaps would have liked a few more. “The wickets in Australia at the World Cup won't be too similar to this but the important skill is adapting and hopefully adapting to these wickets will stand us in good stead for the World Cup.” The partnership was broken by 15-year-old debutant Aroob Shah. The leg-spinner accounted for Jones’ wicket in the 11th over and was the most-economical bowler from her side with 13 dot balls in four overs. She returned one for 21. For her exploits with the bat, Jones was named player of the match. Middle-order batters Natalie Sciver and Heather Knight made the most of the platform provided by Jones. Sciver made an unbeaten 29-ball 34 – hitting a six and a four – while Knight facing five deliveries of the final over of the England innings cracked three fours on her way to 13 not out. All-rounder Nida Dar was the successful bowler for Pakistan with two wickets for 30 runs in four overs. The second T20I will be played on Thursday. Scores in brief: England Women 154-4, 20 overs (Amy Jones 53, Natalie Sciver 34 not out, Tammy Beaumont 30; Nida Dar 2-30) Pakistan Women 125 all-out, 18.4 overs (Bismah Maroof 60, Sidra Nawaz 22, Umaima Sohail 21; Sophie Ecclestone 3-21, Natalie Sciver 2-12, Freya Davis 2-18) Result: England Women won by 29 runs