NANCY: National squash players Noor Zaman and Hamza Khan outclassed their Indian opponents Arnaav Sareen and Krishna Mishra in the team quarter-finals of the ongoing World Junior Squash Championship 2022.
In an anticipated quarter-final between the two arch-rivals, Pakistan squash players Hamza and Noor displayed brilliance as they outclassed their respective opponents to bolster the nation to qualify for the semi-finals.
In a team match, Noor Zaman handed an early lead to his side as he beat Krishna in a one-sided clash by the scores of 14/12, 11/8, and 11/4.
Hamza, on the other hand, carried the momentum as edged past Sareen 2-1 by the scores of 11/6, 1/11, 6/11, and 11/5.
The unassailable 2-0 lead resulted in Ashab Irfan qualifying unopposed by his scheduled opponent Parth Ambani.
The national team will now take on Egypt in the semi-final of the event on Saturday.
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KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president, Brig. (ret.) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar made a significant accusation against the former PHF Secretary Shahbaz Senior and accused him of corruption.
Khokhar, in a press conference here at Karachi Press Club after being re-elected unopposed as the president of PHF opened the pandora box as he alleged the former PHF secretary Shahbaz of corruption and claimed he would be handcuffed if the former opens the inquiry against him.
“I have the inquiry against Shahbaz Senior and if I open it today, he would be handcuffed,” said Khokhar.
The newly re-elected PHF President then questioned the calls for him to step down from the federation’s presidency and argued that the national team was performing better under his stewardship.
“For what should I take the responsibility when our team is fine?” Khokhar questioned. “When my tenure began, the [national] team was ranked 13th,” he maintained.
Khokhar also claimed that he had paid for the team’s participation at the Asian Games as well as his travel expenses, while also accusing former PHF office holders of corruption and promising to bring the offenders to justice.
“The corrupt individual steps down. I paid for the team’s tour to the Asian Games out of my own pocket. See how many trips I took over the course of five years and how much I paid for them all on my own,” he stated.
“If someone comes in accordance to my competency then I will leave. We will expose the corruption done by the previous secretaries,” he concluded.
It is pertinent to mention here that besides Khokhar’s re-election as the PHF President, Haider Hussain was elected as the secretary of PHF while Shahid Pervaiz Bhandara Finance secretary.
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LAHORE: The heavy and persistent rainfall in the city has affected the training camp of the Pakistan squad for the upcoming away ODI series against the Netherlands, scheduled to commence on August 16.
According to the details, the national contingent was initially scheduled to train at the Gaddafi Stadium, however, the heavy downpour in the city forced the players to train in the indoor hall of the National High-Performance Center (NHPCB).
Furthermore, the scheduled press conference of Pakistan ODI vice-captain Shadab Khan has also been postponed.
The majority of Pakistan’s 16-member squad reported at NHPC on Friday and attended a team meeting under the presidency of national squad manager Mansoor Rana.
Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam, on the other hand, also gave a special lecture to the participants for the forthcoming assignment in the Netherlands.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will play a three-match away ODI series against Netherlands from August 16 to 21. The side will depart for Amsterdam in the wee hours of Friday, August 12.
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BIRMINGHAM: All-rounder Nida Dar has been ruled out of the high-voltage game against the arch-rivals India as Pakistan announced the playing lineup for their second encounter of the Commonwealth campaign, here on Sunday.
According to the details, Dar was diagnosed with a concussion after she sustained a blow to the head in the first match against Barbados on Saturday.
Dar, who shone the other with an unbeaten 50 off 32, has been faring well with her injury yet her condition will be monitored for another five days.
Aimen Anwar, however, will be replacing Dar in Pakistan’s playing lineup against India today.
Bismah Maroof-led national side will be comprised of Aliya Riaz, Omaima Sohail, Iram Javed, Muneeba Siddiqui, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Tuba Hassan, Diana Baig, Anam Amin, Kainat Imtiaz and Aimen Anwar.
It is worth mentioning here Pakistan Women lost their opening match of the Commonwealth Games against Barbados by 15 runs despite a brilliant half-century by Dar.
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KARACHI: National Table Tennis will depart for Turkey on August 5 to partake in the forthcoming Islamic Solidarity Games, scheduled to commence on August 9.
The national table tennis contingent, which comprised four players including Hoor Fawad, Haiqa Hassan, Fawad Khawaja, and Taimur Khan, will depart for Konya on the morning of August 5.
Coach Aijaz Ali and manager Yasrab Shah will accompany the participating players throughout the international event.
In a bid to perform well in the event, national players Hoor and Haiqa are busy training at the Islamia Club here.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Islamic Games will take place in Konya, Turkey from August 9 to August 18.
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KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Australian curator Damien Hough asserted that the technology in Pakistan is not advanced as compared in Australia.
Following his visit to the Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground to inspect the pitches in light of the PCB’s initiative for the improvisation of the pitches, the chief curator of Adelaide Oval Hough engaged in media interaction here and compared the technological advancement between the two cricketing nations.
“Compared to Australia, technology is not as advanced here. Whereas, cricket grounds here offer good facilities for the sport,” Hough stated.
“I did not come here to criticize anyone but to teach the technique of making grassy pitches. I am well aware of the fact that every nation has its own procedure for preparing the pitch but I am confident that together we can make better pitches in Pakistan that should be beneficial for both batters and bowlers,” he maintained.
The expert curator then went on to claim that he had a wonderful time visiting Pakistan to examine local pitches and outfields in light of PCB’s initiative.
“The experience of coming to Pakistan has been excellent so far. The people here are very passionate about cricket,” he said.
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KARACHI: Australia’s expert pitch curator Damien Hough inspected the Naya Nazimabad Stadium outfield and square today and interacted with the curator and ground staff.
Details indicate that Hough paid a visit to Naya Nazimabad Stadium today following his Friday visit to the National Stadium, and inspected the pitch and the square.
Hough, the chief curator of Adelaide Oval, met with the groundskeepers and curators at the Naya Nazimabad cricket ground and offered advice on how to improvise the pitch preparation.
The PCB-appointed pitches expert had earlier visited Gaddafi Stadium Lahore and Rawalpindi Stadium as part of his tour of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, under the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) initiative to improvise the pitches, the Australian soil will also be tested in Naya Nazimabad stadium. Whereas, the soil is expected to reach next week.
It is worth mentioning here that Hough is currently on a two-week trip to Pakistan to inspect local pitches and outfields besides giving consultancy to local curators on pitch-making techniques.
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KARACHI: Pakistan bodybuilders received a warm reception from the fans upon their arrival in the country after bagging four medals including a gold in the recently-concluded Asian Bodybuilding Championship held at Maafushi, Maldives.
National bodybuilder – Shahzad Qureshi, who bagged a gold medal in the masterclass 80kg plus category by defeating an Indian opponent in the recently-concluded 54th Asian championship, received a warm welcome from the fans on their return to the country.
Besides Shahzad, Umar Shahzad and Arsalan Baig, who won a silver and bronze each, were too, highly praised by the citizens, who displayed their support for the bodybuilders by chanting the national slogans.
The fans presented the bodybuilders with flower garlands and also took photographs with them.
It is important to note that Pakistan finished with an overall eight positions in the 54th Asian Championship, indicating that the national bodybuilders had a successful run in the continental competition. In addition to the medal winners, four additional bodybuilders claimed positions in a variety of categories.
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KARACHI: A security delegation of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) visited National Stadium today to assess the arrangements for the upcoming England tour of Pakistan, later this year.
A four-member ECB delegation, comprising Richard Snowball, Robert Lynch, John Carr and Reg Dickason reviewed the security arrangements at the National Stadium and its surroundings.
The delegation also captured photographs of the stadium and its surrounding, whereas, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials briefed them regarding the arrangements.
Furthermore, the delegation also travelled on the routes from the Airport to the hotel and the hotel to the stadium before leaving for Multan in the evening, and later on to Lahore and Rawalpindi.
It is pertinent to mention here that the ECB delegation will make a final assessment report and send it to ECB after which the venues for seven T20Is will be finalized.
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KARACHI: A security delegation of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is set to visit Karachi’s National Stadium today to assess the arrangements for upcoming England’s tour of Pakistan.
According to the details, a four-member ECB delegation will review the security arrangements at the National Stadium and its surroundings.
The delegation will be briefed about the security arrangements by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) security officials and the management of the National Stadium, besides a meeting is also due with the law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, the ECB officials will also inspect the routes from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the stadium during their visit.
Furthermore, the delegation will also visit the venues of Multan and Lahore to give the final nods to the upcoming England tour.
Earlier, the ECB delegation visited Rawalpindi Stadium and held a meeting with the officials of the interior ministry on Monday.
It is pertinent to mention that the England cricket team are scheduled to tour Pakistan later this year for a seven-match T20I series and three Tests, however, the final schedule of the tour will be announced after the ECB delegation completes its ongoing security review.
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