Author: shoaib.jatt

KARACHI: The imported Australian soil has reached the Jinnah International Airport here as part of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) pitches plan.

Following a successful visit by Adelaide Oval expert pitch curator Damien Hough, imported Australian soil as part of the PCB’s initiative to build improved pitches has arrived in the country.

According to the details, the PCB awaits the clearance of the soil at the airport before seeding it into several stadiums and cricket grounds across the country.

The initial reports suggested that the PCB aims to seed the soil to make Australia’s sort of pitches in major stadiums like National Stadium, Gaddafi Stadium, Pindi Stadium, including Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground.

READ: Mithu Jutt beats Rana Irfan to lift Pakistan Royal Cup 2022 title

NEW YORK: The national futsal team of the United States of America (USA) will tour Pakistan for the first time, later this year.

The officials of the Pakistan Soccer Futsal Federation (PSFF) and the USA Futsal Federation signed an agreement here for the latter’s tour to Pakistan, scheduled later this year.

In their first-ever tour to Pakistan, the USA Futsal team will play a five-match series against the home side.

According to the details, the USA will also send their technical support and coaching staff for the improvement of the sport in the country, chairman PSFF Hazrat Ali Khan asserted.

“The US national futsal team will play a five-match series in their tour of Pakistan,” PSFF Chairman stated.

“The US will also send technical assistance and coaching personnel to help Pakistan improve its command in the sports,” he added.

READ: Inam, Bismah lead Pakistan contingent in CWG 2022 opening ceremony 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host the World Pro Card Bodybuilding event for the first time in the country’s history on this Independence Day in the national capital.

The World Bodybuilding Organization has granted permission to Pakistan to host the World Pro Card event for the first time, announced Arif Mirza, CEO of Fitness Expo.

“The mega event will take place on August 13 and 14, featuring more than 300 athletes and Bodybuilders from 80 countries for Amateur Olympia Pakistan,” he said.

Mirza further stated that bodybuilders from all over the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Europe, will arrive in Pakistan for the first time for the Pro Card event.

Rowley Winkler, a Dutch IFBB professional bodybuilder and Tom Colemon, a pro athlete have also released video messages expressing their excitement to visit Pakistan to witness the mega event.

READ: Pakistan Test squad set to depart for country today after Sri Lanka tour

BIRMINGHAM: Two national Hockey players tested positive for COVID-19 amid the on-arrival testing of the Pakistan contingent that reached here to participate in the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022.

As the Pakistan contingent landed in the country to compete in the forthcoming global event, two hockey players tested positive and have been sent to isolation.

According to the sources, the contracted players are Rana Abdul Waheed and goalkeeper Abdullah.

Besides COVID-19 testing, the doping control officer also conducted doping tests on two Pakistan hockey players and one national swimmer.

It is pertinent to mention here that the flag hoisting and opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games will take place on July 27 and 28 respectively.

National wrestler Inam Butt and captain of women’s cricket team Bismah Maroof will be the flag-bearers for the Pakistan contingent in the global event.

READ: Abdullah falls early before Babar, Imam take Pakistan to 71/1 at Tea

KARACHI: After heavy monsoon rains forced the cancellation of scheduled matches, new dates have been announced for the first round of the National under-19 three-day Championship.

According to the details, the rescheduled first round of the tournament, based on three-day matches, will now take place from August 20 to 22 after the completion of its scheduled second round.

Moreover, the final of the Championship will be staged from August 25 to 28.

Six matches were scheduled for the first round between 12 teams of six cricket associations. However, the submerged match venues after severe rainfall forced their postponement.

The National U19 Championship will now begin on July 30 with the onset of second-round.

READ: Domestic T20 Cup planned ahead of WC as PCB unveils season schedule

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) announced to provide monthly stipends for the top 17 performing players.

According to the official statement, the PBCC has divided 17 players into three categories by keeping their recent domestic and international performances into consideration.

The Honorarium will be in force for six months, from July 2022 to December 2022. The cricket council has chosen two players in category A, four players in category B, and eleven players in category C.

Players in Category A will get a monthly stipend of PKR 20,000 while those in category B and C will receive PKR 17,000 and 15,000 respectively.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja also lauded the performance of the National Blind Cricket team in the General Body meeting in June before announcing a PKR 1 Million reward for the PBCC.

List of Blind Cricketers in PBCC Honorarium

Category A: Badar Munir, Nisar Ali

Category B: Muhammad Rashid, Faisal Mehmood, Riasat Khan, Mati Ullah

Category C: Anees Javed, Moeen Aslam, Muhammad Safdar, Shahzeb Haider, Mohsin Khan, Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Salman, Haroon Khan, Kamran Akhter, Muhammad Shahzeb, Sana Ullah Khan

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KARACHI: The fourth spell of the monsoon here has resulted in has left the first round of the recently-commenced National U-19 Championship to stand still.

The fourth and worst monsoon spell hit the city yesterday, and the steady deluge throughout Sunday has forced the cancellation of the first round of the National U19 tournament.

Following severe rain, the six venues for the opening round here, including United Bank Limited (UBL) Ground, TMC Ground, KCCA Ground, and Rashid Latif Cricket Academy, sank in loads of water, forcing the matches to be cancelled.

According to the details, six matches were to be played between 12 teams of six cricket associations. However, due to the waterlogged grounds, the action could not take place today.

The second round of the National U19 Championship, however, will now commence on August 30.

READ: Bowlers dominate second session as Pakistan slip to 111/4 at Tea

KARACHI: Abdul Sattar Edhi International Hockey Stadium, which was announced to get its major renovation by the Government of Sindh in May, has sunk under loads of water after the fourth spell of monsoon poured into the city.

As the fourth and the strongest monsoon of the season hit the city on Sunday morning and the persistent rain for the entirety of the day, has resulted in flooding of the Abdul Sattar Hockey Stadium.

Rainwater has inundated the main areas of the structure, including the corridor and the main office. Following this, concerns have begun to raise that the flooding may cause the stadium’s decaying structure to collapse.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Government of Sindh, in collaboration with Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) awarded a contract to Frontier Works Organization (FWO) in May for the refurbishment of the dilapidated stadium.

Following the contract, details indicated that around 1.5 billion rupees will be spent on the rebuilding of the stadium, which will also include state-of-the-art indoor gymnasiums and swimming pools.

The boys’ hostel and changing rooms for up to four teams. Whereas, the installation of seats in the enclosure for the first time, was also a part of the plan.

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BANGKOK: Pakistani Bodybuilder Faheem Malik made history as he clinched the maiden gold medal for the country in a Pro Card at the World Fitness Federation (WFF) Universe.

According to details, Faheem bagged the gold medal after he aced the top-tier competition of the WFF Universe, a professional bodybuilding event held in Bangkok.

The remarkable feat marks the first Pro Card gold won by a Pakistani bodybuilder at the international level.

Moreover, Moiz Mahar secured the second position to bag a silver medal in the junior category while Ijaz Haider won bronze for Pakistan at the event.

It is pertinent to mention here that the WFF Universe competition featured bodybuilders from 30 different countries including Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, and Pakistan.

Whereas, the three Pakistani bodybuilders participated in the event under the leadership of WFF Pakistan President Waseem Qureshi.

READ: Olympic Council of Asia announces new dates for 19th Asian Games

KUWAIT CITY: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced the revised schedule for the upcoming 19th Asian Games which will now be held in Hangzhou from 23rd September to 8th October 2023.

The continental competition was originally scheduled to take place in Hangzhou from September 10 to September 25. However, because of the COVID 19 global pandemic, the OCA Executive Board (EB) postponed the Games on May 6, 2022, and a “Task Force” was established by the EB to determine the new dates for the Games.

In order to identify a window for the Games that did not interfere with other significant international sporting events, the Task Force has had several meetings with the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), and other stakeholders over the past two months.

Following this, the OCA EB properly approved the Task Force’s suggested dates and the continental games will now be held according to the revised schedule.

READ: Javelin-thrower Arshad starts training for World Athletics Championship