Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The Pakistan national football team camp is in full swing here at Model Town football ground to train the lads for the upcoming home match of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 against Jordan, scheduled to be held in Islamabad on March 21.Under the guidance of head coach Stephen Constantine, the team is focusing on refining their skills and tactics to face the upcoming challenge. The attention is also being given to the goalkeepers with coaching support from Rogerio Ramos and Nauman Ibrahim. The training camp, which kicked off in Lahore on Monday will continue for the next few days.Pakistan squad (Probable's):Goal-Keepers: Salman Ul Haq, Saqib Hanif, Hassan Ali and Abdul BasitDefenders: Mamoon Moosa Khan, Mohammad Sohail, Junaid Shah, Umar Hayat Haseeb Khan, Mohammad Saddam, Mohammad Hamza Munir, Kamil Ahmad Khan and Mohammad AdeelMidfielders: Alamgir Ghazi, Rajab Ali, Ali Uzair, Moin Ahmad, Zaid Umer, Mohammad Zahid Shah and Ali ZafarForwards: Shayek Dost, Fareed Ullah, Mohammad Waleed Khan, Mohammad Waheed, Mohammad Adeel Younas and Yasir Arafat.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board today (March 9, 2024) announced umpire and match referee appointments for the HBL PSL 9 three playoffs and the final, which will be played from 14-18 March at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.The 14 March Qualifier involving table-toppers Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi will be refereed by Roshan Mahanama. Aleem Dar and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.Match Referee Mohammad Javed will lead the playing control team for the 15 March Eliminator 1 between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators. Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney will be the on-field umpires, while Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.16 March Eliminator 2 featuring the loser of 14 March match and the winner of 15 March fixture will be refereed by Muhammad Javed. Richard Illingworth and Asif Yaqoob will perform on-field umpire responsibilities, while Ahsan Raza and Faisal Afridi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively.For the final scheduled on 18 March, Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney will perform the duties of on-field umpires, while Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob will be third and fourth umpires, respectively. Roshan Mahanama will lead the playing control team for the final.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans’ Iftikhar Ahmed has been fined five per-cent of his match-fee for a Level 1 breach of HBL PSL’s code of conduct during his side’s HBL PSL 9 fixture against Quetta Gladiators at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.Iftikhar was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.The incident happened in the third over of Quetta Gladiators’ batting, when Iftikhar used inappropriate language towards the batter who was dismissed. Since Iftikhar pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ali Naqvi, there was no need of a formal hearing. The charge was imposed by on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Richard Illingworth. 

Sports Bulletin ReportKrakow (Poland): FIDA World Seniors’ Chess Team Championship will be held from July 1 to 12, 2024 in Krakow Poland under the banner of FIDE, the Polish Chess Federation, and Malopolska Chess Association.All FIDE member federations and eligible teams will participate in the FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championship (50+ 65+), which is to be held in Krakow- Poland.

Sports Bulletin ReportDoha (Qatar): Pakistani young lad, Raja Atif Raza worked as a workforce management volunteer during the AFC Asian Football Cup 2024 held in Qatar from January 12 to February 10. Raja Atif led his team and welcomed all FIFA officials, players, and guests at Hamad International Airport Qatar. Raja Atif was presented Honorary Certificate and Award by the government of Qatar. Raja Atif Raza said: “Volunteering is an important part of our culture. I am proud to represent Pakistan in major sports events in Qatar. Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup Qatar final. I hoisted the green flag of Pakistan on this occasion.”“I dedicate my award to my father Dr. Raja Meherban Hussain (Late). He gave us a better education and worked tirelessly to ensure our future. I thank my mother, sisters, and brothers Raja Adeel, Raja Waqas, Raja Danish, family members, friends, and respected people of his area, who pray for me for my success”, he concluded.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is back at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings after finishing with a nine-wicket match haul in his 100th Test match. Ashwin returned hauls of four for 51 and five for 77 against England as India won by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamsala to complete a 4-1 win in the ICC World Test Championship series.Ashwin reclaimed the top spot from compatriot Jasprit Bumrah to start his sixth stint at the top of the rankings. He first became number one in December 2015. Player of the Match Kuldeep Yadav, who became the fastest Indian in terms of balls bowled to take 50 Test wickets, has risen 15 places to a career-best 16th position after finishing with seven wickets in the match.India captain Rohit Sharma (up five places to sixth) and Shubman Gill (up 11 places to a career-best 20th) have also made notable gains while Player of the Series Yashasvi Jaiswal has moved up two places to eighth after notching a half-century. Jaiswal aggregates 740 rating points after nine Tests, with only two batters having tallied more after as many Tests – Australians Don Bradman (752) and Mike Hussey (741).England players Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow have moved up a slot each in the batting rankings while spinner Shoaib Bashir has progressed 11 places to 71st position. Australia completed a 2-0 series win over New Zealand in Christchurch to take second place behind India in the WTC table and Alex Carey’s match-winning 98 not out sees him go up from 50th to 38th. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood continued his fine run to finish with six wickets in the match, including a five-for, to make it 35 wickets at 15.31 for the season and moved to second position behind Ashwin.That equals his best-ever position in the rankings, which he first achieved in February 2017. Despite a peak bowling rating of 864 – achieved in March 2017 – Hazlewood has never been in top spot. Only Kapil Dev (877), Ryan Harris (870), Courtney Walsh (868) and Rangana Herath (866) have had higher peaks without ever reaching number one position.Matt Henry’s superb first innings figures of seven for 67 helped him advance six places to 12th and over the 700-point mark for the first time in his career. He is also up to sixth among all-rounders. Australian Mitchell Marsh (up eight places to 55th) and New Zealand players Tom Latham (up six places 35th) and Rachin Ravindra (up 10 places to 66th) are others to move up the batting rankings.In the Men’s ODI Rankings, Ireland’s Harry Tector has moved up two places to a career-best-equalling fourth position after aggregating 141 runs in the three-match series against Afghanistan while Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s series-topping 172 runs in his team’s 2-0 win, sees him move up from 24th to 22nd. Ibrahim Zadran (up three places to 14th among batters) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (up 10 places to 41st among bowlers) have also gained in the latest update.The Men’s T20I Rankings see Mohammad Waseem move up two places to 14th among batters after scoring 68 not out and Junaid Siddiqui move up 14 places to 74th among bowlers after returning four for 14 as the United Arab Emirates beat Scotland in the first T20I in Dubai.Michael Levitt of the Netherlands (up 17 places to 32nd), Najmul Hossain Shanto of Bangladesh (up two places to 33rd) and Nepal captain Rohit Paudel (up six places to 48th) are others to move up in the batting rankings while Shoriful Islam of Bangladesh (up 19 places to 39th) and Ayan Afzal Khan of the UAE (up six places to 40th) have gained in the bowling rankings.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: A two-member Pakistan Wheelchair Tennis Team including Asif Gul Abbasi, and Fida Hussain reached Pattaya Thailand on March 13 to participate in the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Asia Oceania Wheelchair Qualifier Cup 2024.According to an official of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Pakistan’s wheelchair tennis contingent comprising 2 players and 1 Non-playing captain including Asif Abbasi, FidaHussain and Mohammad Khalid Rehmani on Wednesday reached Thailand city Pattaya for an international fixture.Besides, Pakistan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Iraq, India, and Kazakhstan will take part in the competitions for the top honour. The official draw ceremony will take place today (Wednesday) and the matches will start tomorrow (Thursday).

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board today (Wednesday) announced the schedule of the New Zealand tour to Pakistan for a five T20i cricket series, which will be kicked off on April 18 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.The Blackcaps will arrive in the capital city on 14 April and will play three T20Is at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on 18, 20 and 21 April. Following that, both sides will move to Lahore, where they will play the remaining two T20Is of the series on 25 and 27 April, respectively.All five matches of the T20I series will begin at 7pm PKT. Ticket prices for the series will be set at affordable rates for the fans to watch their favorite players in action. Tickets will be available at selected TCS outlets and online at pcb.tcs.com.pk. An announcement regarding ticket sales will be made in due course.The coming tour of the Blackcaps will mark their third visit to Pakistan in the span of 17 months. Previously, they had traveled to Pakistan in December 2022/January 2023 to feature in two Tests and three ODIs – part of ICC Men’s Championship. Later that year in April, they traveled to Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi to feature in 10 white-ball matches.Usman Wahla, Director International Cricket said: “In a testament to the unwavering camaraderie between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), we are delighted to present the schedule for New Zealand men’s team tour to Pakistan 2024.“This tour symbolises the deep-rooted ties and mutual respect that define the relationship between our two cricketing nations. “Our avid cricket fans and the people of Pakistan will welcome the New Zealand team again and we hope to have yet another competitive series which is a key part of our buildup to this year’s ICC T20 World Cup.”Series schedule:April 14, 2024: New Zealand to arrive in PakistanApril 16-17, 2024: Training/practiceApril 18, 2024: 1st T20I, RawalpindiApril 20, 2024: 2nd T20I, RawalpindiApril 21, 2024: 3rd T20I, RawalpindiApril 25, 2024: 4th T20I, LahoreApril 27, 2024: 5th T20I, Lahore.

Multan Sultans trounce Quetta Gladiators by 79 runs, Mohammad Rizwan stars in Karachi Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Multan Sultans overpowered Quetta Gladiators by 79 runs at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday night and confirmed their place in the Qualifier of the HBL PSL Season 9 and will face Peshawar Zalmi on March 14, 2024 at 9 pm.Batting first, Multan scored 185-4 on the back of half-centuries by Mohammad Rizwan and Johnson Charles. Multan Sultans’ opening batters, Yasir Khan and Mohammad Rizwan could only manage a 16-run opening stand with the former caught behind for 12 on 11, with two fours, in the third over, after Gladiators opted to field first.What followed was a 52-run second-wicket stand as Usman Khan joined Rizwan in the middle to bring stability to Multan’s innings after the early wicket. In the fifth over, Rizwan hit a six while Usman hit two consecutive fours to get the scoreboard moving. Sultans ended the powerplay at 43-1.In the 10th over, Usman (21, 23b, 3x4s) was stunned by Abrar Ahmed, who bowled a magic delivery to outfox the right-hand batter. Johnson Charles, the next batter in, partnered with Rizwan for the longest partnership of the innings; yielding 68 from 43 deliveries. Charles, who contributed 32 from 19 to the partnership, played the aggressor role.In the 14th over, Rizwan brought up his 64th T20 half-century, doing so off 35 deliveries. The next two overs, which yielded 12 each, saw Rizwan hit a six while Charles powered the ball to the boundary twice. In the 17th over, Mohammad Amir dismissed Rizwan (69, 47b, 1x4, 4x6s) after he mistimed a leg-cutter, which was caught by the Quetta skipper, Rilee Rossouw.The fourth-wicket partnership between Charles and Iftikhar Ahmed propelled Multan to a comfortable total, after the two added 46 off just 18, with the last three overs yielding 42 runs. Mohammad Wasim Jnr removed Charles (53, 29b, 6x4s, 3x6s) on the fourth ball of the final over, after the batter had brought up his 36th T20 half-century off 27 balls. Iftikhar (20, 8b, 2x4s, 1x6) remained unbeaten at the other end, after pushing the Sultans total to 185-4. Amir bagged two wickets while Abrar and Wasim had one each.In return, Quetta Gladiators had a horror start to the chase as they lost four early wickets. In the third over, David Willey first trapped Jason Roy (3, 7b) leg-before on the second ball. Then, the last delivery of the over saw Saud Shakeel (14, 9b, 1x4, 1x6) being run out by Yasir who perfected his aim at the stumps from backward point, with the Quetta opener halfway down the crease.Rossouw (10, 9b, 2x4s) hit two fours in the next over to keep the scoreboard moving, however, lost his wicket on the final ball of the fifth over when Willey rattled the Quetta skipper’s stumps. Quetta finished the powerplay at 46-3. Trouble deepened when Laurie Evans (1, 2b), the next batter in, was caught by Chris Jordan at short midwicket off Abbas Afridi, leaving Gladiators 47-4.Then, Khawaja Nafay joined Omair bin Yousuf on the crease for a 26-run fifth-wicket partnership. He hit a four on the last ball of the seventh over. In the following over, Omair produced one four while Nafay smashed a six. Quetta got to 73-4 at the halfway mark. On the first ball of the 11th over, Nafay (16, 14b, 1x4, 1x6) was pinned leg-before wicket by Mohammad Ali after Multan reviewed the on-field decision.Omair managed to score 37 off 25, on the back of three fours and two maximums, before he was caught by Jordan in the 12th over, providing Usama Mir his 19th HBL PSL 9 wicket. In the next over, Akeal Hosein edged to Rizwan behind the stumps as Abbas got his second wicket of the innings. Hosein walked back for a-run-a-ball six, as the batting collapse continued. Usama rattled Amir’s (3, 6b) stumps to bring Quetta eight down in the 14th over, with only 99 runs on the board.Abrar was caught behind for a two-ball duck as Multan inched closer to joining Peshawar Zalmi in the HBL PSL 9 qualifier. Usama picked up the final wicket as Quetta were bundled up for 106, the lowest total of HBL PSL 9. Willey and Usama registered identical figures of three for 22 in four overs, while Abbas picked up two wickets. Ali also dismissed a batter.

Afghanistan outclass Ireland by 117 runs in the third match, Mohammad Nabi gets 5 wicketsSport Bulletin ReportSharjah (UAE): Afghanistan clinched the three-match tie against Ireland 2-0 after claiming a massive victory of 117 runs in the third and final One Day International contest of the series here at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mohammad Nabi was declared the player of the match.On Wednesday, Ireland captain Paul Stirling won the toss and decided to field first. Afghanistan batters aggregated 263 for 9 runs in the allotted 50 overs. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was the top scorer with an excellent innings of 69 runs off 103 balls, he hit 4 fours. Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a sparkling innings of 51 runs in 53 balls, as his innings was laced with 7 fours and 1 big six. Mohammad Nabi made 48 runs off 62 balls with the help of 4 fours, and Ibrahim Zadran contributed 22 runs off 31 balls in the team’s total, as his innings was including 3 fours. Mark Adair snared 3 batters after conceding 51 runs. Barry McCarthy got 2 for 42, Harry Tector captured 1 for 17.In reply, Ireland's team could make merely 119 runs all out in 35 overs. Captain Paul Stirling was the top scorer with 50 runs off 53 balls for Ireland, as he hit 4 fours and 2 sixes, Curtis Campher smashed 43 runs and wasted 63 balls with the help of 5 fours and 1 huge six. Mohammad Nabi grabbed 5 wickets for 17 runs while debutant Nangeyalia Kharote took 4 for 30 runs, and Fazalhuq Farooqi got 1 wicket.Summarized Scoreboard:Ireland won the toss and decided to field firstPlayer of the Match: Mohammad NabiAfghanistan (Batting) 263 for 9 runs in 50 oversHashmatullah Shahidi (69 runs, 103 balls, 4x4, 6x0), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (51 runs, 53 balls, 4x7, 6x1), Mohammad Nabi (48 runs, 62 balls, 4x3, 6x0), Ibrahim Zadran (22 runs, 31 balls, 4x3, 6x0)Ireland (Bowling)Mark Adair (3 for 51), Barry McCarthy (2 for 42), Harry Tector (1 for 17)Ireland (Batting) 199 runs all out in 35 oversPaul Stirling (50 runs, 53 balls, 4x4, 6x2), Curtis Campher ( 43 runs, 63 balls, 4x5, 6x1), Barry McCarthy (8 runs, 18 balls, 4x0, 6x1), Graham Hume (5 runs, 19 balls, 4x0, 6x0)Afghanistan (Bowling)Mohammad Nabi (5 for 17), Nangeyalia Kharote (4 for 30), Fazalhuq Farooqi (1 for 23)ODI Debut:Nangeyalia Kharote (Afghanistan), Naveed Zadran (Afghanistan)Match Officials:Umpires: Ahmed Shah Pakteen (Afghanistan), Paul Reiffel (Australia)TV Umpire: Bismillah Jan Shinwari (Afghanistan)Reserve Umpire: Izatullah Safi (Afghanistan)Match Referee: David Boon (Australia).