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President's Trophy: Pindi to host final between WAPDA and SNGPL
Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) set to meet in the President’s Trophy cricket tournament final, as the Pindi Cricket Stadium to host the final from February 9 to 13, 2024.According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), after seven rounds of matches played in Karachi. WAPDA and SNGPL qualified for the final after topping the points table, with five and four wins respectively. Mohammad Sajid and Waleed Yaqub will be the on-field umpires while Nadeem Arshad will serve as the match referee.
Punjab Polo Cup 2024: Diamond/Master Paints qualify for main final
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Diamond Paints/Master Paints and FG Polo qualified for the main final of the Bank of Punjab (BoP) 95th Punjab Polo Cup 2024 after winning their respective matches played here at the Lahore Polo Club on Friday. Diamond Paints/Master Paints clinched a nail-biting victory against DS Polo with a close score of 8-7 in the day's opening match. Benefiting from a two-goal handicap, Diamond Paints/Master Paints saw Amirreza Behboudi leading the charge with an impressive tally of four goals, complemented by Raja Jalal Arsalan and Raja Temur Nadeem, who contributed one goal each. DS Polo's challenge was spearheaded by Max Charlton, who dominated their scoring with six goals, and Ahmed Ali Tiwana, who added one goal to their effort. Diamond Paints/Master Paints entered the match with a two-goal handicap advantage, quickly capitalizing on it despite DS Polo's opening move, a successful 30-yard penalty, narrowing the gap to 2-1. Responding swiftly, Diamond/Master Paints extended their lead with a field goal, making it 3-1. However, just before the first chukker concluded, DS Polo managed to score another goal, bringing the score to a close 3-2. Kicking off the second chukker, Diamond/Master Paints widened their advantage with another field goal, pushing the score to 4-2. DS Polo, shifting gears, intensified their offensive, netting three consecutive goals to edge ahead with a slender 5-4 lead. Nonetheless, Diamond/Master Paints dominated the third chukker, launching three successive goals to reclaim their lead at 7-5. Despite DS Polo's valiant efforts for a comeback, managing to equalize with two goals, Diamond/Master Paints secured the match with a final goal, culminating in a tight 8-7 victory. The excitement continued as FG Polo secured their spot in the final by overcoming BN Polo with a score of 10-8 in a gripping match. FG Polo showcased their prowess by establishing a lead of 6-3 in the initial four chukkers earlier and yesterday, they maintained their dominance throughout the last four chukkers to secure their victory. The results also set the stage for a compelling subsidiary final, featuring DS Polo and BN Polo. As the tournament approaches its climax, polo enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the showdowns that will determine the champions of one of the sport's most prestigious events.
Davis Cup Tennis Tie between Pakistan and India to start on Saturday
Aisam to face Ramkumar in the opening fixture of the World Group 1 Play-offAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: The Davis Cup Tennis Tie World Group 1 play-off between traditional rivals nations Pakistan and India will get underway here at the grass courts Aisam Tennis Arena of the Pakistan Sports Complex on Saturday, as ace national tennis player, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi will face Ramkumar Ramanathen in the opening fixture.Referee Javier Moreno Perez announced the Draws on Friday at a local hotel. Pakistani tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq will take on Ramkumar Ramanathen of visiting team in the first single of the Davis Cup Tennis Tie while Pakistan number one Aqeel Khan will meet Shriram Balaji in the second encounter of the day.On the second day, the duo of local tennis lads, Muzammil Murtaza pairing with Barkatullah will lock horns with Indian pair Yuki Bhambri, and Saketh Myneni in the Doubles fixture. Reverse Singles will also be played on Sunday at the same venue.Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi said: “We are well prepared to encounter high-ranked Indian tennis players in the Davis Cup competitions. I have played against all visiting team’s lads in different tennis events abroad. This time we do not have the grass court advantage because Indian players also play on grass courts but will have a plus point of a home ground and home crowd advantage and people should come and support the national players. We will play a positive game to produce a notable performance against India”. Indian coach Zeeshan Ali said: “We came here to play the Davis Cup Tennis Tie, which is very important for us. We will try our best to win the vital tie. Our players are confident to give maximum against the host side that has world-class players but we are focused on our game and I hope my boys will do well in the Davis Cup Tennis Tie, as our team is visiting Pakistan after 64 years. We had won the previous tie 4-0. Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) provided us with international standard facilities here during the last four days”. Match Officials: Javier Moreno Perez (Referee), Emanuel Joseph (Chair Umpire), Nicholas Stellabotte (Chair Umpire), Shahzad Akhter Alvi (Chief of Umpires)Schedule: Davis Cup Tennis Tie (Pakistan vs India)First Singles: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi vs Ramkumar RamanathanSecond Singles: Aqeel Khan vs Shriram BalajiDoubles: Muzammil Murtaza, Barkatullah vs Yuki Bhambri, Saketh MyneniReverse Singles-1: Aqeel Khan vs Ramkumar RamanathanReverse Singles-2: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi vs Shriram BalajiIndia officials: Rohit Rajpal (Non-playing Captain), Zeeshan Ali (Coach), Debashish Das, and Anand Kumar (Physios), Anil Dhupar (Manager), Sunil Yajaman (Coordinator)Pakistan Official: Mohammad Abid (Non-playing captain).
MARTIAL ARTS - Taekwondo 01 Feb, 2024
Sports Bulletin ReportSharjah (UAE): The 15-day training camp of Pakistani athletes for the 11th Al-Fujairah Open Taekwondo Championship, which will be held in Al-Fujairah of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 4 to 6, 2024 in Sharjah UAE. The camp was organized by Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) under the supervision of Pakistan's Iranian-born coach Master Yusuf Karami.Top national players including Haroon Khan, Hamza Omar Saeed, Shahzaib Khan, Mohammad Arbaz Khan, Mazhar Abbas, Nauman and Ehtishamul Haq will represent Pakistan in the Al-Fujairh Open Championship. Omar Saeed will be Team Leader, Ashfaq Ahmed Manager, Yusuf Karami Head Coach, Zubair Macha will be the coordinator and Faisal Butt will be the physio. After participating in the Al Fujairah Open, the Pakistan Taekwondo team will participate in the Fajr Open Taekwondo Championship held in Tehran from February 12 to 15, in addition to the World Taekwondo President Asia Cup from February 16 to 19 in Tehran and then from February 21 to 22 will take part in the Asian Club Taekwondo championship.
FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup: Netherlands claim title
Champions Hollanders overcome Malaysia 5-2 in the final, Oman earn third positionAdil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): Netherlands outclassed Malaysia 5-2 in the final of the first FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup at the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat Muscat, Oman on Wednesday. The Dutch delivered an impressive show over Southeast Asian nation in the concluding clash to clinch the first ever Hockey5s trophy. The hosts Oman finished in third place to claim historic bronze globe medal after defeating Poland 3-2 in the third and fourth playoff on Wednesday.Oman head coach, Aikman Siegfried, affirmed that Oman national team boys had a dream in this inaugural FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup. "This dream came true after they hey achieved the bronze medal following their crucial triumph over Poland. It is a historic accomplishment made by the team's heroes after they presented strong performance, determination and patient in all the matches of this globe event," coach addedSami Awadh, Oman team's Capitan, expressed his joy with a historic bronze medal. "Thanks to all the fans who came to support us during the couple days ago. A special thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and to OHA officials for their continuous support to the team. It is great moments to be in third place at world level in a major globe event. We worked very hard to reach in the podium. I am proud on the teammates and coaching staff's top efforts during this event. We are looking for more accomplishments in the coming period," he endedChief Guest for the final, HH Sayyid Malik bin Shihab Al Said handed over the trophy to the winners accompanied by Dato Tayyab Ikram, FIH President, and Dr. Marwan al Juma, chairman of OHA. The medals delivered to the runners up and third placed in the final ceremony by HE Basil bin Ahmed al Rawas, Undersecretary for Sports and Youth at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Shaikh Khalid Mohammed al Zubair, Oman Olympic Committee Chairman (OOC). The final ceremony was attended by several sporting figures, top dignitaries and officials.Back to the third and fourth playoff match, Oman's goals netted by Rashad al Fazari (7), Aiman Madit (16) and Fahad al Lawati (26) while the rivals Poland goals struck by Jarzembowski Damian (14) and Hołosyniuk Jakub (25). Oman's goalie Fahad al Noufali showed top game after his brilliant saves.In the final game, the Netherlands dominated the first half as they pumped three goals in the first quarter by Van Der Drift Yannick (1, 13) from corner goal and field goal and Reyenga Pepijn (6). Tow goals were struck in the second half through De Wijn Sander (26) and Van Aart Jamie (28) to lift the title. The opponent Malaysian team managed to score two goals in both half's through Anuar Akhimullah (2) and Omar Mohammad (16).
FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup: Netherlands edge Oman 5-3
Adil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): Netherlands defeated the hosts Oman 5-3 in semifinals of 2024 FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup (Oman 2024) on Tuesday to make it to the finals. At the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat, the national team hockey players delivered a solid performance despite the defeat while the Dutch continued to set the standard for the tournament as the produced a top show. Oman will vie for a bronze medal against the looser of Poland and Malaysia match who played a late match on Tuesday.Back to Oman and Netherlands game, the hosts Oman were delayed in the first half by 3-0 after Schop Alexander, De Wijn Sander and Van Der Drift Yannick found the target by the half-time break before then extending their lead in the second half to reach an 5-3 victory. Rashad al Fazari and his teammates failed in the first half to convert many scoring attempts to goals following the good saves by Netherlands goalie Schaper Koene. In the second half, Oman head coach Aikman Siegfried instructions to the players to focus more in the attacking side. De Wijn Sander began the second half strongly as he netted the fourth goal for the Netherlands while Rashad al Fazari scored the first Omani goal in this half through filed goal in the 19th minute. Two minutes later, Khalid al Shaaibi added the second goal in style to make it 4-2 before Van Aart Jamie came back again to score the fifth goal in the 23rd minute. Sami al Laun managed to score the concluding goal for Oman to end the game at 5-3 for the Dutch. Oman beat Kenya (5-2):Earlier on Tuesday, Oman secured spot in the semifinal after they beat Kenya 5-2 in a thrilling match. The national team players produced an excellent show that confirmed Oman's presence in the last four in a historic achievement. Oman's Rashad al Fazari took the lead for his team after a perfect corner goal in the 9th minute and within the same minute, Khalid al Shaaibi doubled the lead for Oman to 2-0. Masambu Bethuel netted the first goal for Kenya in the 13th minute through field goal to end the first half at 2-1 for the hosts Oman. In the following quarter, Asama Barazhan struck the third goal before Khald al Shabib added two more goals in the 20th and 22nd minute to raise Oman's hopes in advancing to the historic semifinals. Masambu Bethuel managed to score the team's second goal again in the 23rd minute to conclude the match at 5-2.Netherlands beat India (7-4): In another match, Netherlands outplayed India 7-4 to book slot in the semifinals. It was a top match for De Wijn Sander and Schop Alexander as they netted two goals each to support their teams to clinch crucial spot to the last four.
National Women’s T20: Lahore to meet Karachi in final
Final to take place at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, winners to pocket 1 millionAbdul Jabbar FaisalRAWALPINDI: Lahore will face Karachi in the National Women’s T20 final at here Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (January 31, 2024), Nida Dar will lead Lahore Women while Fatima Sana Karachi Women players in the final.The player of the tournament will be awarded PKR50,000 and player of the match will receive PKR20,000. The tournament’s top performers – best batter, best bowler and best wicket-keeper – will get PKR 25,000, each.Lahore have remained unbeaten in the tournament, winning all 10 matches in the six-team tournament. Opening batter Sidra Amin, also the highest run-getter in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25, is leading the batting charts with 494 runs from 10 outings, with one century and three half-centuries. She has scored runs at the strike-rate of 143.60.In the bowling unit, Lahore’s spin twins of Ghulam Fatima and Nashra Sundhu, occupy the top two spots. Leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima has 21 wickets to her name from 10 matches at an economy rate of 4.44. Left-arm spinner, Nashra, currently ranked number sixth in the ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings, has 19 scalps to her name, with one five-fer and a four-fer in the tournament.Karachi have won six matches from 10 outings in the tournament. Former national captain and opening batter Javeria Khan, has hit two half-centuries for her side, scoring 352 runs from 10 matches. She holds an average of 44 and strike-rate of 110.34.In the bowling department, spinners have done wonders for the Karachi similar to Lahore’s spin bowling prowess. 20-year-old leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah has taken 14 wickets from 10 matches at an economy rate of 5.09. She has the support of another spinner, off-spin bowler Rameen Shamim, who has bagged 13 wickets from 10 matches at an economy rate of 4.77.
Punjab Polo Cup: Diamond Paints/Master Paints win opener
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Diamond Paints/Master Paints defeated Olympia/AZB Polo by 11-8 in the opening match of the Bank of Punjab 95th Punjab Polo Cup 2024 played here at the Lahore Polo Club on Tuesday. Malik Azam Hayat Noon, President of Lahore Polo Club, highlighted that this historic event, backed by Bank of Punjab, features five elite teams, including renowned national and international players, showcasing their skills throughout the week. The inaugural match witnessed a fierce competition between Diamond Paints/Master Paints and Olympia/AZB Polo. Capitalizing on a two-goal handicap advantage, Diamond Paints/Master Paints showcased exceptional talent, with Raja Jalal Arsalan and Amirreza Behboudi scoring five and four goals, respectively. Despite a valiant effort from Olympia/AZB Polo, where Valentin Novillo Astrada netted three goals, Nicolas Corti and Ahmed Zubair Butt each scored twice, and Abdul Rehman Monnoo added one, they fell short. The match began with both teams displaying formidable skills, ending the first chukker with Diamond Paints/Master Paints narrowly leading 3-2. They extended their lead in the second chukker, outscoring their opponents and making it 6-3. However, Olympia/AZB Polo fought back in the third chukker, scoring three consecutive goals to level the score at 6-6. The final and decisive chukker was a nail-biter, with the score tied at 8-8. In a dramatic turn, Diamond Paints/Master Paints clinched a last-minute field goal, securing a 9-8 lead. With the inclusion of their handicap advantage, they triumphed with an 11-8 final score. Santiago Loza and Abdul Sattar officiated the match as field umpires. On Wednesday, two important matches will be played. At 2:00 pm, FG Polo will take on BN Polo, while Olympia/AZB Polo will vie against DS Polo at 3:00 pm.
FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup: Oman reach in quarterfinals
Adil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): The hosts Sultanate of Oman stormed into the historic quarterfinals of the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup (Oman 2024) as they edged US 6-4 on Monday at the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat. Oman's players confirmed leading the group as they claimed seven points in their tally of pool D following two wins against Fiji (8-3) and US (6-4) beside a 3-3 draw against Malaysia in the opener. Malaysia joined the hosts Oman to the quarters as they finished as runners up with the same credit but less goals difference.Back to Oman and US match in the concluding round of the group matches, Barminski Michael gave US lead but one minute later Rashadal Fazari equlaised for Oman while Madit Aiman found the net to make it 2-1 for US in the 14th minute and end the first half. In the deciding half, Oman head coach Aikman Siegfried entered the match with a different plan as the players were attacking in order to secure the second straight win after they played out a 3-3 draw in the opener and then won Fiji 8-3. Khalid al Shaaibi (20, 29), Mahmood Bait Shamaiaa (22) and Khalid al Lawati (25) struck Oman's goals in the second half while Harris Pat struck two goals within one minute in the 23rd minute while Gandhi Mohan netted the fourth goal for US. Khalid al Shaaibi expressed his joy post the post the match and he said:" It is great historic moments to reach into the quarterfinals in this inaugural edition of the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup. This does not come in easy way as we worked very hard before the tournament and during the event. Thanks for the coaching staff and fans for their continuous support. Special thanks for the association and will do our level best in the forthcoming matches," he endedOman will meet Kenya in the quarterfinals as the match will take place on Tuesday. The match will start at 9:10. Malaysia will face Trinidad & Tobago in another quarters match. The topper of pool B Egypt will meet Poland who ended as runners up in pool A. The second placed team in pool B India will play against Netherlands who ended as first team in pool A in a tight clash. Egypt confirmed their progression to the next stage as the top team in the group after they defeated Switzerland 9-1.It was only Netherlands and Egypt teams who finished the group matches on full mark from three games. The African team thumped Jamaica 10-2 in the opener before edging India 8-6 in a thrilling match on Sunday. Then, they outclassed Switzerland 9-1. Netherlands men's team will aim to duplicate the women's team triumph as they crowned champions of the FIH Women's Hockey5s World Cup. The Dutch began their campaign strongly with 6-3 win over Poland before outclassing Pakistan 5-3 in the following match. They concluded their group games with a crucial 8-6 win over Nigeria on Monday.
ILT20: Sharjah Warriors overcome Desert Vipers by 7 runs
Sports Bulletin ReportSharjah (UAE): Skipper Tom-Kohler Cadmore, through an aggressive 68 off 34 balls studded with eight sixes and two boundaries, guided his team to a hard fought seven-run win over Desert Vipers in the 13th match of the ILT20 season 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. His 101 runs partnership in 53 balls for the third wicket with Martin Guptill, who scored 39 off 32 balls with four fours and one six, gave his team a challenging total of 174 for 7 in 20 overs. The crowd of nearly 13,000 were in for a great treat when Vipers tried to chase the target through Alex Hales’s 61 off 40 balls with five sixes and three boundaries and Azam Khan’s fighting 35 off 22 balls. Together, the pair put 52 runs in 33 balls for the fifth wicket but failed to carry their team to victory. Earlier, Wanindu Hasaranga had put the brakes on Sharjah Warriors’ run flow with three wickets in the 16th over for figures of 3 for 30. Luke Wood too chipped in with three wickets for 33 runs, but all their efforts went in vain. So close was the fight that when Vipers needed 22 runs to win off the last 12 balls, Daniel Sams gave away only six runs in the penultimate over. Needing 16 runs off the last over, Muhammad Jawadullah held his nerves and bowled accurately giving away just eight runs to ensure Warriors’ victory.Brief scores: Sharjah Warriors beat Desert Vipers by 7 runs. Sharjah Warriors 174 for 7 in 20 overs (Martin Guptill 39, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 68, Joe Denly 22, Luke Wood 3 for 33, Wanindu Hasaranga 3 for 30) Desert Vipers 167 for 7 in 20 overs (Alex Hales 61, Azam Khan 35, Chris Woakes 2 for 26, Daniel Sams 2 for 29)Player of the Match: Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
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