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.

MB Khan ISLAMABAD ( January 6, 2020):-Under the control of Inter Board Sports Committee (IBSC) and Baluchistan Education Board (BEB) the Pakistan Inter Board Sports Girls Gala started at Pakistan Sports Complex (PSC) Islamabad on Monday. Member National Assembly (MNA) and Parliament Secretary Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Saima Nadeem graced the opening ceremony as chief guest and she inaugurated the sports gale in a colourful ceremony. She said on this occasion, “Sports are very important for health and sports are also significant for girls”. Moreover, she added that it was the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan that government should make plans for the progress in the girls’ sports and promote it.  Badminton: Secondary Education Board Karachi beat Education Board Larhkana 2-0. In the second match, Educational Board Gujranwala beat Peshawar Board 2-0. Hockey: Educational Board Lahore beat Intermediate Education Board Karachi 10-0. Table Tennis: Education Board Shaiwal beat Swat Board 2-0. In second match, Punjab Technical Board Lahore beat Intermediate Karachi 2-0 and in the third match Education Board Bannu beat Secondary Board Karachi 2-0. Five games will be played in the Girls Sports Gala 2020 which games are hockey, Badminton, Table Tennis, Athletics and Wolli ball and this Championship is going to be start from 6th to 9th January, sponsored by Pakistan Sports Board.        

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 6, 2020):-Sarfaraz Ahmed, the captain of the Pakistan side which lifted the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2006, made a visit to the ongoing Pakistan Under-19 camp at the National Cricket Academy on Monday and shared his experience of playing the biggest age-group cricket tournament. Pakistan boasts two U19 World Cup wins – the last one came under the wicketkeeper-batsman’s captaincy in 2006 with a memorable win over arch-rivals India by 38 runs in a low-scoring final in Colombo. After leading his country to the title, Sarfaraz made his debut for Pakistan national men’s team the next year in an ODI against India at Jaipur. He believes the upcoming ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, which will be played in South Africa from 17 January to 9 February, will serve as a stepping stone for the teenaged cricketers in the squad. Sarfaraz Ahmed said: “I have told the boys this is a perfect platform to graduate to the next level as we had also gone through this route. “Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are prime examples, as they came from this set-up and are now a part of the national team. “I have a feeling that this team has the capability to beat any team in the competition and has the fire power to win the tournament. The momentum is on their side. They’ve had a good 2019 as they performed very well in South Africa and other recent series. “I have great memories of my time in the U19 side. The best one is the final which we won in the 2006 World Cup. The way we won it, I am going to remember it for the rest of my life. We had a brilliant time and we played like one.” Pakistan start their ICC U19 World Cup campaign on 19 January against Scotland U19. The Rohail Nazir-led side is in Group C with Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Scotland. 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 ISLAMABAD (January 6, 2020):-Japan boast a global reputation for productivity but their rapid emergence onto cricket’s global scene has surprised even the most positive of supporters. Later this month, Dhugal Bedingfield’s side will rub shoulders with India, England, Australia et al, ready to pit their wits against the biggest forces in the game at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. But three years ago they didn’t even have an U19 team let alone one capable of sharing a global stage with players who possess IPL contacts, such as India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and Anuj Rawat. Still, Japan is known for creating things: cars, electronics and robots are its specialism, but in this case a pathway from school fields to international fields has been formed. Japan may not be regarded as a cricket powerhouse but it may just become one. A summer camp in August 2017 convinced Japan Cricket there was sufficient talent and enthusiasm to build a U19 team. That came after four years of sweat, blood and toil in promoting the game after a structure was first put in place following an ICC grant for a targeted pilot participation programme. They ambitiously bid and won the rights to stage the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier last year, selecting a young group of players they were hoping to blood for 2021. However, they beat Samoa by 170 runs in the tournament opener and qualified with ease – going unbeaten through the tournament. As anyone who has ever visited Tokyo can attest, things tend to happen rather quickly in Japan. “People might be surprised that Japan is playing cricket and there might not be an historic culture in the country, but that is not to say we can’t be good at it,” said Alan Curr, head of operations at Japan Cricket. “Eleven of the boys that played in the qualifiers are able to play again in two years, which shows how far we have come. We are two years ahead of what we expected. “We are not expecting to knock over India but we are hoping to come away with our reputation as a cricketing nation enhanced. “A lot of people have said how great it is but we are not there to make up the numbers. We don’t expect to tear up any trees but if we can bag a win or two then that would be great.” It would be unwise to discount Japan. They boast plenty of talent, led by Marcus Thurgate, who scored a half-century in each of their qualifiers. He is also the team’s captain, wicket-keeper and star batsman – filling in anywhere in the top order. Neel Date, an opening batsman, is another to look out for while off-spinner Yugandhar Retharekar has the best economy figures in the Japanese senior league last season, despite being just 16 years old. His five for 18 helped set-up a four-wicket win against Fiji in Japan’s final qualifier, while fellow spinner Masato Morita will hope to find pitches that suit his leg-breaks. “If we can maintain the learning curve we are on right now then we will only get better,” Curr added. “We only meet up four times a year and we have qualified for a World Cup. We knew we would have to do a lot of work with them. With the tournament being in January and February, which is in the middle of our winter and there are no indoor training facilities in Japan, we have had to get creative. “We had a coach called Rohan O’Neill come over from Victoria to work with the boys for six weeks, so they have been through some intense training and they have improved – although there is a long way to go.” There might be. But Japan has already gained considerable ground.

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (January 6, 2020):-The upcoming limited overs series between the West Indies and Ireland will be contested trialing technology that will authorise the third umpire to call front foot no balls, like during West Indies’ recent ODI and T20I tour of India. During the trial, which will be carried out in all three ODIs and three T20Is, the third umpire will monitor each ball for any front foot infringement and communicate it to the on-field umpire to call a no ball. The on-field umpires will not call any front foot no balls unless instructed by the third umpire, but will remain responsible for other on-field decisions in the usual way. The benefit of the doubt will lie with the bowler, and if a late no ball call is communicated, then the on-field umpire will rescind a dismissal (if applicable) and signal a no ball. The outcomes of the trial will be used to gauge whether the system has a beneficial impact on the accuracy of no ball decisions and whether it can be implemented while minimizing disruption to the flow of the game. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had trialled no ball technology for the first time during a one-day series between England and Pakistan in 2016.

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 6, 2020):-As many as six players from Punjab and two from Khyber Pakhtoonkawa (KPK) reached in the quarterfinal stage of the Jubilee Insurance Under-16 Juniors Snooker Championship after posting victories on the third day of the championship at Billiard and Snooker Hall, Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Islamabad.  Hamza Ilyas (Punjab), Zubair Tahir (Punjab), Shabban Butt (Punjab), Faheem Liaquat (KPK), Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab), Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK), Adnan Aslam (Punjab) and Zain Ali (Punjab) qualified for the top eight stage of the national snooker showpiece. The quarterfinal will be played on Tuesday at same venue. Results (Day-3): Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK) beat Shamir Ali (Sindh) 3-0 (94-28, 74-18, 58-11) Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) beat Mohammad Musa (KPK) 3-0 (68-14, 79-11, 76-01) Amanullah (Balochistan) beat Zulqarnain Abbasi (Islamabad) 3-0 (50-27, 53-08, 59-28) Adnan Aslam (Punjab) beat Shabban Butt (Punjab) 3-1 (58-18, 61-20, 13-52, 61-37) Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) beat Iftikhar Ali (Bal) 3-0 (62-18, 89-0(62), 56-16) Zubair Tahir (Punjab) beat Khubab Warsi (Sindh) 3-0 (walk over) Zain Ali (Punjab) beat Haroon Saleem (Sindh) 3-0 (94-32, 57-29, 64-29) Faheem Liaquat (KPK) beat Imaad Rafiq (Sindh) 3-0 (61-17, 58-20, 43-17) After League Round Group Position Group A:  Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab), Zubair Tahir (Punjab) Group B:  Faheem Liaquat (KPK), Zain Ali (Punjab) Group C:  Hamza Ilyas (Punjab), Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK) Group D:  Adnan Aslam (Punjab), Shabban Butt (Punjab) Quarterfinals Fixtures (7 Frames) Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) v Zubair Tahir (Punjab) Shabban Butt (Punjab) v Faheem Liaquat (KPK) Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) v Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK) Adnan Aslam (Punjab) v Zain Ali (Punjab)    

Faraz Ahmed Kayani ISLAMABAD (January 5, 2020):-Pakistani teenager Mohammad Hamza Khan qualified for the final of Under-15 fixture of British Juniors’ Open Squash Championship 2020 after beating Yassin Shohdy of Egypt 3-0 in the semifinal at Birmingham, UK on Saturday. The final score-line was 11-5, 11-8, 11-7. He will take on Yousuf Sheikh from England in the final on Sunday at same venue. Results: Boys’ Under-15 (Semifinals) Mohammad Ammad (Pakistan) lost to Yousuf Sheikh (England) 9-11, 6-11, 7-11 Mohammad Hamza Khan (Pakistan) beat Yassin Shohdy (Egypt) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 Boys’ Under-17 (Semifinals) (9/16) Noor Zaman (Pak) lost to (1) Sam Todd 6-11, 1-11, 1-11.  

MB Khan RAWALPINDI (January 5, 2020):-Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) XI have won the Rawalpindi Women’s T 10 Cricket League Tournament after beating Multan by 44 runs in the final at Wiqar-un-Nisa College ground on Sunday. The brilliant player of the winner team Nameera was declared best player of the decisive fixture. Multan’s captain was announced the best player of the tournament. Multan team’s captain Bakhtawar won the toss and invited the opponent to bat first. DC Elevens piled a massive score 105 for 5 runs 10 overs. Amna scored 21 runs and Ayesha scored 19 runs while Multan Captain Bakhtawar got 2 wickets and the other brilliant bowler Samiya, Nadia and Maida got 1 wicket each. Mutlan could manage 61 for 6 runs on the board in allotted 10 overs.  Losing captain was not out on 40 runs, which made her performance prominent. DC Eleven team player Nameera got 3 wickets whereas Saba got 1 wicket. DSO Shams Toheed distributed the prizes along with the president of Youth Education and Sports Welfare society Zahid Awan. Professor Maryam, Nasir Aslam Raja, Snober Gul, Shafqat Niazi and Doctor Mohammad Hussain were also present on this occasion. In the final match Saleem Butt and Waqar performed the duty of empires and Saba Malik took the responsibility of scoring.     

By Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (January 5, 2020):-Hamza Ilyas, Shabban Butt and Adnan Aslam moved into the quarterfinals of Jubilee Insurance National Junior Under-16 Snooker Championship by defeating their opponents on Sunday at International Snooker Hall, Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad. On Sunday in the league matches, Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) stunned Shamir Ali (Sindh) in straight frames 3-0 with the score-line of 69-16, 82-0(67) and 71-28 while other Punjabi Shabban Butt overcame local quiets Zulqarnain Abbasi in similar style 3-0, as the frame score was 53-27, 42-13 and 60-29. Adnan Aslam from Punjab beat Zulqarnain Abbasi from Islamabad 3-0 too. The final score-line was 57-39, 61-39 and 61-30. Day 2nd Match Results (Day-2): Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK) beat Mohammad Muzammil (Punjab) 3-1 (64-37, 26-65, 52-38 and 57-24) Shamir Ali (Sindh) beat Mohammad Musa (KPK) 3-1 (43-47, 73-18, 60-21 and 52-24) Amanullah Khan (Balochistan) beat Sharjeel Awan (KPK) 3-1 (46-26, 59-33, 36-53 and 67-28) Shabban Butt (Punjab) beat Zulqarnain Abbasi (Islamabad) 3-0 (53-27, 42-13 and 60-29) Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) beat Khubab Warsi (Sindh) 3-0 (80-13, 76-3 and 63-6) Zubair Tahir (Punjab) beat IftikharAli (Balochistan) 3-0 (61-2, 62-45 and 62-22) Faheem Liaquat (KPK) beat Haroon Saleem (Sindh) 3-2 (42-66, 79-45, 70-33, 41-83 and 56-25) Zain Ali (Punjab) beat Imaad Rafiq (Sindh) 3-0 (1-0, 73-65 and 62-38) Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) beat Shamir Ali (Sindh) 3-0 (69-16, 82-0(67) and 71-28) Mohammad Muzammil (Punjab) beat Mohammad Musa (KPK) 3-0 (48-22, 61-47 and 57-9) Adnan Aslam (Punjab) beat Zulqarnain Abbasi (Islamabad) 3-0 (57-39, 61-39 and 61-30) Shabban Butt (Punjab) beat Sharjeel Awan (Kpk) 3-1 (44-63, 47-11, 63-51 and 43-14) Monday’s Fixture Malik Muzammil Khan (KPK) V/S S. Shamir Ali (Sindh) Mohammad Musa (KPK) V/S Hamza Ilyas (Punjab) Amanullah (Balochistan) V/S Zulqarnain Abbasi (Islamabad) Shabban Butt (Punjab) V/S Adnan Aslam (Punjab) Ahsan Ramzan (Punjab) V/S Iftikhar Ali (Balochistan) Khubab Warsi (Sindh) V/S Zubair Tahir (Punjab) Haroon Saleem (Sindh) V/S Zain Ali (Punjab) Faheem Liaquat (KPK) V/S Imaad Rafiq (Sindh)

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (January 5, 2020):-Right from the word go the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Cricket World Cup has acted as a petri dish for the progress of cricket’s emerging nations, with an ICC Associates XI entered in the inaugural event in 1988. From those early steps to memorable performances from Nepal, Namibia and Afghanistan in recent years, the age-group showpiece has acted as a vehicle for Associates to turn dreams into reality. And for Canada’s Nitish Kumar, it helped him make history. The all-rounder from Scarborough, Ontario has been representing his country for nearly a decade, starting in earnest at the 2010 U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Kumar was thrown in at the deep end of the international game, becoming the second-youngest player in ODI history when lining up against Afghanistan in February 2010. The U19 World Cup helped him consolidate those experiences and then equipped him for the biggest stage as he became the youngest-ever player to feature at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, figuring in Canada’s defeat to Zimbabwe in February 2011 aged 16 years and 283 days. “It was so special to be able to represent your country at such a prestigious event as the U19 World Cup,” said Kumar, now 25. “It was a competitive environment and we played against some of the best players in our age-group. “To succeed at the tournament, you need clear plans and to trust your skills. You’ve made it to that stage for a reason and you must believe you’re good enough to win every game. “It gives you an opportunity to measure your skills against the best in the world at your age. From there you are able to identify areas for improvement.” The U19 Cricket World Cup has always been a truly global gathering and Netherlands’ Tim De Leede and Canada’s Nicholas Ifill progressed from the 1988 Associates XI to gain Men’s Cricket World Cup experiences. In recent years Eoin Morgan, Rashid Khan, Steven Taylor, Kyle Coetzer and Mark Chapman have been some of the more recognisable names to star for Associate nations at the U19 World Cup. Chirag Suri batting againts Scotland Chirag Suri appeared for UAE in the 2014 tournament on home soil, where the host nation gained vital experience in a group with England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Hitting a half-century as his side came close to beating the Kiwis, Suri says the event suffused his side with belief they could challenge top-ranking nations. “This tournament definitely makes you believe in yourself as a cricketer and competing against the best only makes you a more competent and consistent player,” said Suri. “It’s a great place to be and to see where you stand as a player on the international stage amongst the best of your age. “It’s an incredible experience which players will share with their kids one day, you have to make every moment enjoyable and not leave anything in the changing room. “Personally, scoring a 50 against a Test nation like New Zealand and going incredibly close against them, and facing Sri Lanka and England, really made me believe in my ability and the potential of the team.” Associate nations will once again be out in force at the 2020 renewal of the event, set for South Africa from 17 January – 9 February. Nigeria and Japan secured qualification for the first time through victory at Africa and EAP Division One events, while Canada, UAE and Scotland will once again take part. Suri underlines that players who strut their stuff at the U19 World Cup have a unique opportunity – to launch their career in front of a global audience. “The U19 World Cup can be very pivotal for the next stage of your career if you’re a young player,” said Suri. “We have seen players doing well in these tournaments and with the confidence they get from it, going on to become the best of the world. “Virat Kohli is a prime example. I've been following him since his U19 World Cup appearance and look at his journey until today. “There isn’t a better platform to showcase your skills than this one.”