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CRICKET - 17 Nov, 2023
Sports Bulletin ReportAhmedabad (India): The English duo of Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough will be the on-field umpires for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad.This will be the second time Kettleborough would be in the middle for the showpiece occasion. The 50-year-old previously stood alongside Kumar Dharmasena in the 2015 final, which saw Australia overcome New Zealand at the MCG.More than 93,000 spectators watched on that occasion and a three-figure crowd is expected tomorrow as the host nation look to replicate the Indian team of 2011 and lift the World Cup on home soil.Illingworth and Kettleborough, who were promoted to the ICC International List on the same day in November 2009, both acted as on-field umpires during this week’s semi-finals. Illingworth oversaw India’s victory over New Zealand, with Kettleborough in charge of Australia’s thrilling win against South Africa.Both men are previous winners of the David Shepherd Trophy, awarded to the ICC’s Umpire of the Year.Kettleborough, who reached a century of ODIs as an umpire earlier in the tournament when Netherlands took on Sri Lanka, took home the prize in three consecutive years between 2013 and 2015 and Illingworth added his name to the illustrious list in 2019 and 2022.On Sunday, the pair will be joined by Joel Wilson as third umpire, fourth umpire Chris Gaffaney and match referee Andy Pycroft, all of whom were part of the officiating teams across the semi-finals.Match officials (India v Australia):On-field Umpires: Richard Illingworth & Richard KettleboroughThird Umpire: Joel WilsonFourth Umpire: Chris GaffaneyMatch Referee: Andy Pycroft
PCB announces women’s squad for New Zealand tour
Omaima, Sana Fatima, Shawaal return in the 17-member squadSports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail and Shawaal Zulfiqar stage a comeback in the Pakistan women’s team as the national selection committee headed by Saleem Jaffar announces a 17-member squad for the New Zealand tour scheduled to take place later next month.The side will play three T20Is in Dunedin and Queenstown from 3-9 December, before taking on New Zealand in three ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs from 12-18 December in Queenstown and Christchurch.Iram Javed, who was part of the 15-member squad for Bangladesh tour this month, was omitted from the squad and the experienced Omaima Sohail comes in the side after an all-round performance in for Pakistan A in the recently held T20 tri-nation series and bilateral series at home.18-year-old Shawaal Zulfiqar, who made her international debut against South Africa in September this year, makes a comeback after topping the batting charts in the tri-series with 106 runs including one half-century.Right-arm fast bowler Fatima Sana, who was ruled out of the bilateral series against Bangladesh due to injury, has recovered and is available to the side for the six white-ball matches.Pakistan squad: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda AkhtarPlayer support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rashid (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach), Mohammad Asfand Yar (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rifat Asghar Gill (physiotherapist) and Zubair Ahmed (analyst)Series schedule:3 Dec – 1st T20I, Dunedin5 Dec – 2nd T20I, Dunedin9 Dec – 3rd T20I, Queenstown12 Dec – 1st ODI, Queenstown (ICC Women’s Championship)15 Dec – 2nd ODI, Christchurch (ICC Women’s Championship)18 Dec – 3rd ODI, Christchurch (ICC Women’s Championship)
CRICKET - 17 Nov, 2023
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Former Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has been appointed as the chief selector of the national men’s selection committee. His first assignment will be the selection of the national men’s squad for the three-match Test series against Australia from 14 December to 7 January in Australia and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 12 to 21 January in New Zealand.Wahab, who made his international debut in 2008, represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is picking up 237 wickets and scoring 1200 runs across the three formats. He was Pakistan’s second-most successful bowler in World Cups, registering 35 wickets across three editions of the marquee event.Wahab Riaz: “I am honoured to assume the role of chairperson for the national men's selection committee and I extend my gratitude to Chairman PCB Management Committee, Zaka Ashraf, for entrusting me with this responsibility. The decision to involve former players in cricketing matters is commendable and I am willing to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.“Heading a selection committee is a challenging task. We have a significant Australia tour coming up that is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle and a T20I series against New Zealand that will allow us to develop a formidable unit leading up to the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June next year.“I have a good rapport with the Pakistan Men’s Team Director Mohammad Hafeez and we will be working closely for the success of Pakistan cricket. My primary goal would be to give weightage to the top performers in domestic cricket and announce well-rounded squads equipped with the necessary skillsets. I will always be available to the players for feedback and advice."
SQUASH - National Juniors 17 Nov, 2023
Abdullah Arsalan gets rid of Mohammad Furqan 3-2 in Under-17 competitionSports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: All Pakistan Juniors’ Squash Championship 2023 kicked off on Friday at Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex Karachi under the banner of Pakistan Navy.The match of the day was played between Abdullah Arsalan and Mohammad Furqan in which both players exhibited top quality squash, and amused the squash lovers with the excellent game. Finally, Abdullah won the match 3-2 with the score-line of 11-3, 7-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-4 after lasting 31 minutes.Results (Day-1):Boys’ Under-17 (Round-I):Azan Ali beat Qasim (3-0) 11-9, 11-2, 11-5 (16 min)Zohaib Khan beat Hammad Ahmed (3-2) 9-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5 (33 min)Ali Ahmed Usmani beat Qanbeet (3-0) 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (19 min)Adnan Zaman beat Haris Sheeraz (3-0) 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (14 min)Abdul Basit beat Waqif (3-0) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (18 min)Mohammad Arsalan beat Anas Daniyal (3-0) 11-2, 11-4, 11-1 (10 min)Abdullah Arsalan beat Mohammad Furqan (3-2) 11-3, 7-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-4 (31 min)Mohammad Zaman beat Ahsan Akhter (3-0) 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (19 min)Boys’ Under-13 (Round-I):Sohail Adnan beat Faizan Khan (3-0) 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 (19 min)Abdul Haseeb beat Muneeb (3-0) 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 (16 min)Saif Saad beat Umer bin Zeeshan (3-0) 11-5, 11-1, 11-2 (12 min)Raheel beat Daim Ayan (3-0) 11-1, 11-1, 11-2 (16 min)Mohammad Ali Khan beat Shaban (3-0) 11-3, 11-2, 11-0 (11 min)Tahoor Tahir beat Sudais Pracha (3-0) 11-3, 14-12, 11-8 (18 min)Mohammad Mahad Rehman beat Sahil Khan (3-0) 11-2, 11-6, 11-2 (13 min)Mohammad Bin Atif beat Hamza Adnan (3-0) 11-0, 11-0, 11-0 (16 min).
POLO - Local News 17 Nov, 2023
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Teams Master Paints and Remounts asserted their dominance with commanding victories over their opponents during the Patrons 47th Aibak Polo Cup 2023 matches at Lahore Polo Club grounds on Friday. The opening match of the day showcased Master Paints' skillful play as they outpaced FG/Din Polo with a final score of 9-6. The standout performance came from Iranian player Amirreza Behboundi, who showcased excellent polo skills, contributing impressive six goals to secure victory for Master Paints. Teammates Agha Musa Ali Khan and Chaudhry Hayat added two and one goals, respectively. On the opposing side, Juan Cruz Greguol led the scoring for FG/Din Polo with four goals, while Mian Abbas Mukhtar converted a brace. In the second match, Team Remounts dominated the field with a commendable 10-6 victory against Team Barry's. The hero of the day for Remounts was Abelenda, who not only displayed outstanding polo skills but also contributed four crucial goals to his team's triumph. Omar Asjad Malhi hammered a hat-trick and Swr. Mohammad Naeem scored a goal for Remounts. Raja Jalal Arslan played well for Team Barry’s, contributing three goals, while Maissam Haider and Nafees Barry converted two and one goal, respectively. Both matches drew enthusiastic spectators, including Lahore Polo Club President Malik Azam Hayat Noon, executive committee members, players, and their families, all of whom enjoyed the thrilling displays of skill and sportsmanship at the Lahore Polo Club grounds.
Lahore win NBP T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2023 title
Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Lahore Blinds’ cricket players outclassed opponents from Bahawalpur by 9 wickets in the final to lift the title of the 14th edition of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2023 (Grade-1), here at Shalimar Cricket Stadium on Friday.In the morning, Lahore won the toss and put Bahawalpur into bat. Bahawalpur openers Mohammad Rashid and Moain Aslam gave them a brisk and solid start. Their first wicket fell at the score of 161 runs when Mohammad Rashid was run out after scoring 93 runs off 54 balls. Moain Aslam and Zafar Iqbal then made another formidable partnership. Bahawalpur posted a mammoth total of 231 runs on the board in stipulated 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Maoin Aslam made 85 runs off 53 balls and Zafar Iqbal played a little cameo of 22 runs off 9 balls.Lahore in reply played exceptionally well and chased the target of 232 runs in the last over of the innings in a nail-biting finish for the loss of 1 wicket. Badar Munir exceptional form with the bat continues he remained unbeaten on 123 runs off just 70 balls featuring 20 (4’s) while Mohammad Salman played a handy innings of 76 runs off 40 balls to guide their side home. Mohammad Ejaz was the only bowler from Bahawalpur to claim a wicket.Man of the Match: Badar MunirRao Abid (Senior Vice President NBP Islamabad Region), Syed Sultan Shah (President World Blind Cricket Ltd & Chairman Pakistan Blind Cricket Council), Abdur Razziq Khattak (General Manager CSR OGDL), Syed Salman Bokhari (Director Cricket Operations PBCC), Shahzad (Deputy Director Sports CDA) were the guests of the occasion and distributed prizes amongst the players.Players of the Tournament:B1: Zafar Iqbal (Bahawalpur)B2: Badar Munir (Lahore)B3: Mohammad Rashid (Bahawalpur)Best Wicket Keeper: Ismail Shah (Peshawar)
TENNIS - ITF Juniors 17 Nov, 2023
Yoshito Oda wins Boys’ Singles while Viktoriia Sedova lifts Girls Single titleSports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Yoshito Oda from Japan, Viktoriia Sedova from Russia have won the Boys Singles, and Girls Singles title after winning their respective finals of the ITF Pakistan J30 World Junior Tennis Championships-II 2023, which concluded here at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex on Friday.In the Boys Singles Finals, Yoshito Oda from Japan beat local player Ahmed Nael Qureshi 2-0 with the score-line of 6-4, and 6-2 while in the Girl's Singles final, Viktoriia Sedova overcame Saajida Razick from Sri Lanka after a three sets competition with the score-line of 4-6, 6-1, and 6-3.Advocate Majid Bashir SEVP-ITA was the Chief Guest at the Closing Ceremony. Sohail Bulent was the guest of honour at the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony was also attended by Gul Rehman Secretary-General-PTF, Tufail Cheema SEVP-ITA Arif Qureshi Secretary-ITA, Khalil Chughtai Treasuere-PTF, Ahsan Zaidi Treasurer-ITA and a large number of players, coaches, parents and tennis lovers.Results (Finals):Boys’ Singles: Yoshito Oda (JPN) beat Ahmed Nael Qureshi (PAK) 6-4, 6-2Girls’ Singles: Viktoriia Sedova (RUS) beat Saajida Razick (SRI) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3Boys’ Doubles: Thanathip Poti (THA) / Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong (THA) beat Toki Adachi (JPN) / Yoshito ODA (JPN) 6-4, 7-6 (3)Girls’ Doubles: Victoria Sedova(RUS) / Anastasia Melnikova (RSU) beat Bihar Kilic (TUR) / Saajida Razick (SRI) 6-2, 2-6 (10-6)
T20 Blind Cricket: Bahawalpur and Lahore qualify for final
Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: ISLAMABAD: Bahawalpur and Lahore reached the final of the 14th National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2023 (Grade-1) after beating Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Islamabad respectively by 8 wickets and 80 runs here at Shalimar cricket ground on Thursday. The final will be played on Friday at the same venue.First semifinal (Bahawalpur beat AJK by 8 wickets):In the morning, Bahawalpur won the toss and decided to bowl first. Azad Kashmir made competitive 204 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Kamran Akhter scored his consecutive ton and remained unbeaten at 102* runs off 58 balls while Mohammad Tehseen made 38 runs off 33 balls. Saqib Ali and Mohammad Shahzaib took one wicket each for Bahawalpur. In reply, Bahawalpur openers Moain Aslam and Mohammad Rashid dominated Azad Kashmir bowlers and gave a brisk start that helped their side to reach the target in 19.1 overs. Moeen Aslam scored brilliant 56 runs off 35 balls whereas Mohammad Rashid made 50 runs off 30 balls. Mohammad Zafar played a Captain’s knock of unbeaten 38 runs to guide his side home. Mohammad Idrees Saleem took 1 wicket for Azad Kashmir.Man of the Match: Moain Aslam Second semifinal (Lahore beat Islamabad by 80 runs):The second semifinal of the event was played between Islamabad and Lahore. Islamabad won the toss and put Lahore into bat. Lahore posted a massive total of 289 runs on the board for the loss of 4 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Badar Munir played a dazzling innings of unbeaten 204* runs off 83 balls and Mohammad Rizwan made 27 runs. In reply, Islamabad was restricted to 209 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in allotted 20 overs. Akmal Hayat was their highest scorer with 54 runs off 41 balls and Shahzaib Haider made 35 runs off 26 balls. Anees Khan took 3 wickets, Rizwan and Ahmer Iftikhar claimed 1 wicket each for Lahore. Man of the Match: Badar Munir
TENNIS - ITF Juniors 16 Nov, 2023
Ahmed Nael to meet Yoshito Oda from Japan in the final on FridayAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Pencil-thin, rising tennis player, Ahmed Nael Qureshi overcame Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong from Thailand 2-1 to qualify for the final of the ITF Pakistan J30 World Junior Tennis Championships-II at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex Islamabad, as the final score-line was 4-6, 6-3, and 6-3 and the match lasted one hour and 40 minutes. Ahmed Nael Qureshi will take on Yoshito Oda from Japan in the final on Friday at the same venue. In the first semifinal, local player 4th Seed Nael Ahmed Qureshi (PAK) caused a major upset by defeating top seed Tadpong Kamonpanyakorn of Thailand in a thrilling three-set match of the day. It is pertinent to mention here that Ahmed Nael Qureshi is a student of Westminster School and an upcoming talented youngster from Ace Tennis AcademyNael Qureshi started the match on a very positive note and continued the pace of the game with the exchange of good rallies and cross-court short till score went-up 3-3 level. In the seventh game, Qureshi made some unforced errors and hit the ball into the net, and lost the game by hitting a double fault. At this stage, Tadpong built-up his winning lead 5-4 and tried to finish the set in the 9th game but failed to convert and ultimately grabbed the 10th game to win the set at 6-4.Qureshi changed the game plan in the second set by playing some attacking game according to the situation and built up a winning lead of 4-2 by breaking the 2nd and 6th game of Tadapong. Nael after losing the 7th game played extraordinary tennis and broke back the 8th game and held the 9th game in his favour, taking the 2nd set at 6-3, and leveled the match 1-1.In the final and decisive set, both the players exhibited a high standard of tennis. Tadapong tried his best and succeeded to break the 4th game of Qureshi to build-up the lead 3-1 but Nael Qureshi bounced back, changing the pace and strategy of the game plan, and played his best tennis by hitting excellent ground stokes down the line and cross-court, and continued to break the 5th, 7th and 9th game of Tadpong and qualified for the final of the ITF Pakistan J30 World Junior Tennis Championships-II.Results:Boys’ Singles (Semifinals):Ahmed Nael Qureshi (PAK) beat Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong (THA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3Yoshito Oda (JPN) beat Zaidh Zehar (SRI) 6-1, 6-2Girls’ Singles (Semifinals):Sajidda Razick (SRI) beat Anastasia Melnikova (RUS) 6-2, 6-2Victoria Sedova (RUS) beat Bahar Kilic (TUR) 6-1, 6-2Boys’ Doubles (Semifinals):Toki Adachi (JPN) / Yoshito ODA (JPN) beat Aahil Kalil (SR) / Zaidh Zihar (SRI) 6-1, 7-6 (4)Thanathip Poti (THA) / Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong (THA) beat Mohammad Salar Khan / Mohammad Hamza Aasim (PAK) 2-6, 6-4 (10-4)Girls’ Double (Semifinals):Victoria Sedova (RUS) / Anastasia Melnikova (RSU) beat Fatima Ali Raja / Zainab Ali Raja (PAK) 6-0, 6-0Bihar Kilic (TUR) / Saajida Razick (SRI) beat Venuli Senari (SR)/ Srimuk (THA) 6-1, 6-1Friday’s Fixtures:Boys’ Singles Final: 10:00 amGirls’ Singles Final: 10:00 amBoys’ Doubles Final 2:00 pm
POLO - Local News 15 Nov, 2023
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: Master Paints and Pebble Breaker triumphed over their opponents in the gripping encounters of the Patrons 47th Aibak Polo Cup here at the Lahore Polo Club grounds on Wednesday. In the opening match of the day, Master Paints clinched a narrow victory against DS/Sheikhoo Steel, with a final score of 9-8½. Iranian polo sensation Amirreza Behboudi showcased exceptional skills, netting all nine goals for Master Paints. On the opposing side, Argentina's Nicholas Roberts demonstrated his prowess by converting all eight goals for DS Polo/Sheikhoo Steel. The second match of the day proved to be a nail-biter as Pebble Breaker secured a hard-fought win against Barry's Polo with a scoreline of 6½-5. Abdul Rehman Monnoo led the charge with three goals, while Bilal Haye contributed two, and Agha Musa Ali Khan added one for Pebble Breaker, which held a half-goal handicap advantage. Raja Jalal Arslan notched three goals, and Ibrahim Khalil scored a brace for Barry's Polo.
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