Tag: Asian Games 2023

HANGZHOU: Pakistan Shaheens on Sunday touched down in Hangzhou, China to participate in the men’s cricket competition of Asian Games 2023.

Qasim Akram-led Pakistan Shaheens will rest today before taking part in the training session tomorrow afternoon to prepare for the 19th Asian Games.

The T20 format will see Pakistan Shaheens starting their journey from the quarter-final stage, after having directly qualified by virtue of being one of the top four ICC-ranked sides in the continent.

The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place on 3 and 4 October, with Pakistan playing their quarter-final on 3 October at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou.

The semi-finals will take place on 6 October, while the final and the bronze medal match are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 7 October.

Pakistan Shaheens underwent a five-day camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore where players, under the guidance of coaches, engaged in training sessions and featured in match scenarios to get ready for the tournament.

The squad includes 15 players of which seven have already represented Pakistan in international cricket. These include Aamir Jamal (2 T20Is), Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Asif Ali (21 ODIs, 55 T20Is), Haider Ali (2 ODIs, 33 T20Is), Khushdil Shah (10 ODIs, 24 T20Is), Shahnawaz Dahani (2 ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Usman Qadir (1 ODI, 23 T20Is).

Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Qasim Akram, ahead of his team’s departure for the Asian Games 2023, termed it an honour to lead the side in the event while expressing hope that his players would continue to perform for the team.

“It is an honour for me to lead the side in the Asian Games. The players have performed well in the past, winning the ACC Emerging Asia Cup recently and I am looking forward to the same performance from the players in the upcoming games,” stated Qasim Akram.

“We have a good combination and have undergone rigorous training, preparing for whatever challenges spinning wickets may present. So, we are ready for the challenge.

“This will be our first tour to China, so we will keep things very simple and aim to win matches for the country.

“I will urge the fans to keep supporting the Shaheens side in the Asian Games.”

Pakistan Shaheens squad for Asian Games 2023:

Qasim Akram (captain), Omair Bin Yousuf (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Rohail Nazir (wk), Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Qadir

Player Support Personnel – Shahid Aslam (head coach-cum-manager), Umar Rasheed (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting and fielding coach) and Hafiz Naeem ul Rasool (physiotherapist)

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HANGZHOU: Arch-rivals India handed a 10-2 thrashing to Pakistan on Saturday in the hockey event of the ongoing Asian Games 2023.

India had a flying start to the match as they took a dominant 2-0 lead over Pakistan in the first quarter, courtesy of Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh, who scored one each.

The men in blue then doubled their lead in the second quarter and attained the complete command of the highly-anticipated match.

Pakistan finally showed some resistance in the third quarter as they managed to pull two back but it was insufficient as India still managed to further extend their lead by scoring three.

India then enjoyed another dominant quarter as they scored three more in the fourth to finish the match with a scoreline of 10-2, one of their largest victories against Pakistan.

Harmanpreet Singh was the star for India, scoring four, followed by Varun Kumar, who scored two while Mandeep Singh, Sumit, Shamsher Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scored one each.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Sufyan Khan and Waheed Rana Ashraf could score one apiece.

Pakistan will now take on Japan on October 2 in a bid to make it to the semi-finals of the Asian Games 2023.

A draw against Japan would propel Pakistan into the final four whereas, for Japan, it would be a must-win game.

Pakistan Squad for Asian Games 2023:

Goalkeepers: Akmal Hussain, Abdullah Ishtiyaq Khan, Waqar, Ali Raza, and Abdullah Sheikh.

Defenders: Mohammad Abdullah, Arbaz Ahmad, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Aqeel Ahmed, and Mohammad Bilal Aslam.

Midfielders: Usama Bashir, Mohammad Murtaza Yaqoob, Arbaz Ayaz, Ahtisham Aslam, Mohammad Baqar, Mohammad Nadeem Khan, Mohammad Imran and Syed Shehbaz Haider.

Forwards: Mohammad Imad, Afraz, Roman, Arshad Liaquat, Abdul Qayyum, Abdul Rehman (Wapda), Waqar Ali, Mohammad Arsalan, Mohammad Umar Bhat, Mohammad Shahzaib Khan, Abdul Wahab, Zikriya Hayat, Bisharat Ali, Rana Waleed, Hamza Fayaz and Abdul Rehman.

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Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Qasim Akram banked on his team’s recent performance in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup, heading into the Asian Games 2023.

Qasim Akram-led Pakistan Shaheens will depart later tonight for China to feature in the 19^th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The T20 format will see Pakistan Shaheens starting their journey from the quarter-final stage, after having directly qualified by virtue of being one of the top four ICC-ranked sides in the continent.

The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place on 3 and 4 October, with Pakistan playing their quarter-final on 3 October at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou.

The semi-finals will take place on 6 October, while the final and the bronze medal match are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 7 October.

Pakistan Shaheens underwent a five-day camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore where players, under the guidance of coaches, engaged in training sessions and featured in match scenarios to get ready for the tournament.

The squad includes 15 players of which seven have already represented Pakistan in international cricket. These include Aamir Jamal (2 T20Is), Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Asif Ali (21 ODIs, 55 T20Is), Haider Ali (2 ODIs, 33 T20Is), Khushdil Shah (10 ODIs, 24 T20Is), Shahnawaz Dahani (2 ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Usman Qadir (1 ODI, 23 T20Is).

Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Qasim Akram, ahead of his team’s departure for the Asian Games 2023, termed it an honour to lead the side in the event while expressing hope that his players would continue to perform for the team.

“It is an honour for me to lead the side in the Asian Games. The players have performed well in the past, winning the ACC Emerging Asia Cup recently and I am looking forward to the same performance from the players in the upcoming games,” stated Qasim Akram.

“We have a good combination and have undergone rigorous training, preparing for whatever challenges spinning wickets may present. So, we are ready for the challenge.

“This will be our first tour to China, so we will keep things very simple and aim to win matches for the country.

“I will urge the fans to keep supporting the Shaheens side in the Asian Games.”

Pakistan Shaheens squad for Asian Games 2023:

Qasim Akram (captain), Omair Bin Yousuf (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Rohail Nazir (wk), Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Qadir

Player Support Personnel – Shahid Aslam (head coach-cum-manager), Umar Rasheed (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting and fielding coach) and Hafiz Naeem ul Rasool (physiotherapist)

READ: Asian Games 2023: Pakistan lost to India, bag Silver in Squash

HANGZHOU: Pakistan lost to arch-rivals India 2-1 on Saturday in the final of the men’s squash team event of the ongoing Asian Games 2023.

Pakistan, who put on a dominant show throughout the tournament, came up short in the final against India and settled for a silver medal.

The national squash team got off to a promising start to the blockbuster final, courtesy of Nasir Iqbal beating Mahesh Mangaonakar 3-0 in the first match of the three-match final.

Nasir won the match with the scoreline of 11-8, 11-3 and 11-2.

Saurav Ghosal then scripted India’s sensational comeback in the must-win game for his team as he crushed Mohammad Asim Khan after a one-sided affair.

Ghosal brought Pakistan and India level on terms with a statement 11-5, 11-1 and 11-3 victory over Asim.

Pakistan’s Noor Zaman and India’s Abhay Singh then competed in an intense five-set final of the Asian Games 2023 squash event which lasted for 65 minutes before India emerged triumphant.

Singh won the first set in a comprehensive manner before Zaman pulled off an astonishing recovery by claiming the next two sets and took a 2-1 lead.

This time it was Singh, who pulled things back with a close-fought victory in the fourth set and forced the match to the decider.

The fifth and final set of the match spanned for 14 minutes.

Zaman had attained a 10-8 lead over Singh and moved one point within of bagging a gold medal for his country but Singh continued to fight and eventually succeeded to win the prestigious accolade for his nation by winning the decisive set 12-8.

The final scoreline of the enthralling clash between Singh and Zaman read 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9 and 12-10.

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LAHORE: All-rounder Mubasir Khan has replaced right-arm pacer Mohammad Hasnain in the Pakistan Shaheens squad for the 19th Asian Games 2023, which will be played in Hangzhou, China from 28 September to 7 October.

Hasnain has not fully recovered from the ankle injury and has been ruled out from the upcoming cricketing event.

Making his way into the Pakistan Shaheens’ squad, Mubasir Khan has thus far played 40 first-class matches and 30 T20s.

In the shortest format, Mubasir Khan accumulated 242 runs with the bat while picking up eight wickets with the best bowling figures of 2/21.

To participate in their second Asian Games, Pakistan Shaheens’ training camp commenced on September 25.

Pakistan Shaheens has been participating in the brief four-day training camp at the National Cricket Academy Lahore, which will conclude on September 29, before the team’s departure for Hangzhou, China on September 30.

Pakistan Shaheens’ squad will take part in the practice session at Bob Woolmer Indoor School tomorrow.

Young all-rounder Qasim Akram will lead Pakistan Shaheens in the tournament, to be played in T20 format.

20-year-old Qasim, has till date featured in 20 first-class matches and 40 T20 matches and also captained Pakistan U19 in the ICC U19 World Cup in 2022.

In the 15-member squad, there are seven players who have already represented the Pakistan men’s team at the international level.

The players who have represented Pakistan at the international level are Aamir Jamal (2 T20Is), Arshad Iqbal (1 T20I), Asif Ali (21 ODIs, 55 T20Is), Haider Ali (2 ODIs, 33 T20Is), Khushdil Shah (10 ODIs, 24 T20Is), Shahnawaz Dahani (2 ODIs, 11 T20Is) and Usman Qadir (1 ODI, 23 T20Is).

Also, eight players in the 15-member squad, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir, Shahnawaz Dahani and Sufiyan Muqeem have been associated with the Shaheens side recently. Since May 2023, Pakistan Shaheens have toured Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Australia.

As per the rule of the Asian Games, Pakistan Shaheens will feature in the event from the quarter-finals stage scheduled to take place on 3 and 4 October.

The semi-finals will be played on 6 October, while the final will take place on 7 October. The match for the Bronze medal will also take place on Saturday, 7 October.

Pakistan’s men’s team won a bronze medal in their maiden and only appearance in the Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China, in 2010.

Pakistan Shaheens squad for the Asian Games 2023:

Qasim Akram (captain), Omair Bin Yousuf (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Rohail Nazir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Qadir

Non-travelling reserves – Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan Niazi and Mubasir Khan

Player Support Personnel – Shahid Aslam (head coach-cum-manager), Umar Rasheed (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting and fielding coach) and Hafiz Naeem ul Rasool (physiotherapist).

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HANGZHOU: Pakistan Women’s cricket team lost to the Bangladesh women’s team by five wickets in the third-place match for the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2023 at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field on Monday.

The Bangladesh Women’s team won the toss and justified their decision to bowl first as they reduced the Pakistan Women’s team to 18-4 in the ninth over.

Pakistan started their innings horribly as Marufa Akter bowled a maiden first over and bowled opening batter Shawaal Zulfiqar.

Sidra Ameen was the next wicket to fall as she was caught by Marufa Akter off Nahida Akter in the next over with six runs on the board, meanwhile, wicketkeeper batter Muneeba Ali departed without opening her account.

Sadaf Shamas showed some resistance as she scored 13 off 26 before perishing courtesy of a catch by Rani off Rabeya Khan.

Captain Nida Dar and Natalia Pervaiz were then involved in an 18-run partnership before the latter got out stumped, leaving the Pakistan Women’s team reeling at 36-5.

Meanwhile, Nida Dar was castled by Shorna Akter after a brief inning of 18-ball 14. The new batter Umm-e-Hani also fell in the same over.

Aliya Riaz scored 17 runs off 18 with the help of two boundaries before falling to Shorna Akter in the last over.

Pakistan Women’s team managed to score a meagre 64 runs with the loss of nine wickets in their allocated 20 overs.

Shorna Akter returned with figures of 3-16, while Sanjida Akter Meghla picked up two wickets.

Bangladesh Women’s team got off to a flying start in their pursuit of the target, thanks to an opening partnership of 27 off 30 between Shamima Sultana and Shathi Rani before Sadia Iqbal removed the former.

Shamima Sultana scored 13 runs off 17 balls with the help of two boundaries, while her partner Shathi Rani also scored 13 runs with the help of two boundaries but took 19 deliveries.

Nashra Sandhu then bowled a brilliant spell to pick three wickets, including Shathi Rani, however, Shorna Akter held on to the other end and top-scored with 14 runs to guide Bangladesh to a five-wicket victory.

Nashra Sandhu returned with brilliant figures of 3-18, while Sadia Iqbal and Nida dar picked one wicket each.

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HANGZHOU: Pakistan Women’s cricket team crashed out of the race to win gold at the Asian Games 2023 as they lost to Sri Lanka by six wickets in the semi-finals at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field on Sunday.

The Sri Lanka Women’s team opted to bowl first and struck early as Sidra Ameen departed in the third over with a mere 11 runs on the board.

Shawaal Zulfiqar was the next one to go, after stitching a brief 31-ball 19-run partnership with Omaima Sohail. Shawaal Zulfiqar scored 16 off 27 and was followed by Omaima Sohail to the pavilion on the next ball leaving Pakistan reeling at 30-3 in 8.1 overs.

Pakistan Women’s team never recovered and managed to add a meagre 45 runs with the loss of six more wickets, making a total of 75-9 in their allocated 20 overs.

Shawaal Zulfiqar top scored with 16 runs and was one of the only three batters to reach double figures.

Udeshika Prabodhani led the bowling for Sri Lanka with the figures of 3-21, while, Kavisha Dilhari managed to take two wickets.

Sri Lanka Women’s team started their chase cautiously and lost their first wicket in the form of captain Chamari Athapaththu at a total of 17 in four overs.

Diana Baig then removed Anushka Sanjeewani, while Umm-e-Hani handed Vishmi Gunaratne a golden duck to reduce Sri Lanka to 35-3.

Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva, then knitted a solid 35-run partnership to put Sri Lanka in the driving seat, before the former perished courtesy of a run-out.

With only six runs needed from four overs, Nilakshi de Silva quickly ended the game in style with a six to lead Sri Lanka to a six-wicket win to qualify for the finals of the Asian Games.

Nilakshi de Silva scored an unbeaten 18 off 31, while Harshitha Samarawickrama top-scored for Sri Lanka with 23 off 41.

Prior to that, India Women’s team defeated Bangladesh Women’s Team in the first semi-final of the Asian Games by eight wickets after booking them for a mere 51 runs. They successfully chased the total in the ninth over.

Notably, the Pakistan women’s team entered the tournament as the defending champions, having won gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, however, this year they will play Bangladesh for the bronze medal on September 25.

Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka will square off in the final of the women’s cricket event of the Asian Games on the same day.

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HANGZHOU: Sri Lanka swept aside Thailand on Friday in a rain-affected women’s cricket quarter-final at the Asian Games and Bangladesh joined them in the last four after their clash with Hong Kong was washed out.

Sri Lanka easily chased down their target of 79 in 15 overs of a rain-affected quarter-final match of the Asian Games at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou.

Thailand had earlier fought back from 37-6 to post 78-7 in their 15 overs, largely due to a battling 31 off 24 balls from Chanida Sutthiruang batting at number seven.

“Today we didn’t get enough runs,” said Chanida. “We thought that we could win the game, but we maybe needed 30 to 40 more runs. Even if we had 20 more runs, I think we could have defended it.”

The Sri Lankans cruised past their target with 25 balls to spare, Harshitha Samarawickrama hitting a six to end the contest as they finished on 84-2.

Sri Lanka will face Pakistan on Sunday in the second semi-final of the Asian Games with India playing Bangladesh, who progressed on a higher world ranking after their quarter-final with Hong Kong was washed out later on Friday.

“We want the gold medal,” said Sri Lanka coach Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake, whose team are in confident mood having just won a T20 series in England 2-1 earlier this month.

“We will take it match-by-match, we’ll break it into over-by-over, even ball-by-ball.

“So winning those important moments will be our focus and let’s hope that can be executed as we want it to.”

The final and the third-place playoff for the Bronze medal will be held on September 25.

The 19th Asian Games officially open on Saturday. The men’s cricket will begin on September 27.

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Defending champions South Korea became the first team into the Last 16 of the Asian Games 2023 men’s football event after a 4-0 cruise past Thailand on Thursday.

Hosts China and North Korea also registered second successive wins and both need only a point from their final Asian Games 2023 group games on Sunday to guarantee a place in the knockout phase.

South Korea raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time at the Jinhua Sports Centre stadium via a goal apiece for Hong Hyun-seok, An Jae-jun, Um Wong-san and Lee Jae-ik.

It sparked thoughts that the gold medal winners from Asian Games 2018 might repeat their 9-0 opening game rout of Kuwait on Tuesday, but the Thais were more resolute in the second half.

China had a sizeable crowd at the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium rocking by half-time as they also went 4-0 up before the break against Myanmar.

Two goals from Long Tan and one apiece from Dai Wenjun and Wang Zhenao put them into cruise control and though they peppered the Myanmar goal in the second half they, like the South Koreans, could not add to their score.

Earlier on Thursday, India kept their Asian Games 2023 Last 16 hopes alive by edging Bangladesh 1-0 with a goal from 39-year-old striker Sunil Chhetri.

“I feel relief that we gave ourselves a chance to stay in the tournament,” said the veteran.

India lost their opening game 5-1 to China on Tuesday but can still go through from Group A if they beat Myanmar on Sunday.

“It wasn’t easy, playing back-to-back in two days, and in three days we have a game again. There are no excuses though as the other teams are doing the same,” Chhetri added.

“This gives us a chance of going at Myanmar and trying to qualify.”

North Korea, who are playing their first tournament since the Covid pandemic, were pushed hard by Kyrgyzstan but a 20th-minute goal from forward Kim Kuk Jin was enough to give them a 1-0 victory at the Zhejiang Normal University Stadium.

They beat Taiwan 2-0 in their opening match on Tuesday.

North Korea are competing at their first multisport event since the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.

The Asian Games 2023 officially open on Saturday but some events have begun their preliminary phase, including football.

Asian Games men’s football squads are made up of under-23 players, with three older players allowed, but the age limit has been extended to under-24 for this edition because the games were delayed by a year.

READ: Pakistan Women’s team qualify for the semi-final of Asian Games

HANGZHOU: Pakistan Women’s cricket team qualified for the Asian Games 2023 semi-finals after their quarter-final clash against Indonesia at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field was washed out due to persistent rain here.

Pakistan women’s cricket team qualified for the semi-finals on the basis of better seeding in the tournament.

Notably, the Pakistan women’s team is the defending champion of the women’s cricket event of the Asian Games, having won gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.

Pakistan women’s team entered the Asian Games 2023 with momentum in their favour as they secured a historic whitewash against South Africa.

“The team is in high spirits and every player is looking forward to the Asian Games. After practicing for two days here in Hangzhou, we are all set to play Indonesia tomorrow. The Asian Games hold a special place in our hearts, and we are determined to bring home another gold medal,” Dar was quoted as saying in a PCB press release.

“That we enter this tournament after having beaten South Africa comprehensively in the T20I series will certainly help us and we look forward on carrying that momentum. The players are up for showcasing their skills on the field again.”

India on the other hand have also qualified for the semi-finals while Sri Lanka will face Thailand and Bangladesh will face Hong Kong in the other two quarter-finals on Friday.

Meanwhile, the final and the third-place playoff for the Bronze medal will be held on September 25.

Squad: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Diana Baig, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Nataliya Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah and Umm-e-Hani

Player Support staff: Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Mauhtashim Rashid (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Taufiq Umar (batting coach) and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist).

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