Sports Bulletin ReportManama(Bahrain): The Pakistan National Senior Men’s Volleyball Team continued their strong showing in the AVC Nations Cup 2025 with a commanding victory over the Philippines, defeating them 3-1 in an exciting group stage match held today in Bahrain.The Green Shirts began the match with high energy and dominance, taking the first two sets comfortably with scores of 25-18 and 25-12, thanks to clinical execution and tight defensive play. However, the Philippines bounced back in the third set, taking advantage of a few errors and winning it 25-18. Undeterred, Pakistan responded strongly in the fourth set, sealing the match with a hard-fought 25-22 win, demonstrating their resilience and teamwork.Key PerformersAmong the standout players were:Murad Khan, whose consistent attacking and sharp finishing were crucial in crucial moments.Afaq Khan, who controlled the tempo and provided strong blocking at the net.Musawer Khan, who impressed with his defensive efforts and effective serves.These players played a pivotal role in maintaining Pakistan’s momentum throughout the match and helped secure this important win.What’s NextPakistan is placed in Pool C alongside Chinese Taipei and the Philippines. With this victory, Pakistan is in a strong position to advance in the tournament. Their next and final group match will be against Chinese Taipei on: 19 June 20254:00 PM (Pakistan Standard Time) Live Broadcast on A SportsThe match promises to be a high-intensity clash, as both teams will be aiming for a top position in the group to qualify for the knockout stages.PVF’s StatementSpeaking on the team’s performance::“The team has shown great discipline and strength. Today’s win reflects the hard work of our players, coaches, and support staff. We are hopeful for another strong performance against Chinese Taipei and urge all volleyball fans in Pakistan to support our national heroes.”The Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) extends its heartfelt congratulations to the players and officials and thanks the nation for their unwavering support.

Karachi (SBR):The Jahangir Khan open Squash Championship, organized by the Jahangir Khan Sports Club, concluded with exciting matches and strong participation from emerging talent.In the Men’s Final, Anas Khan clinched the title by defeating Abdul Basit Khan in straight sets, with scores of 11/8, 11/9, 11/9 in a 31-minute battle.In the Women’s Category, Nimra Batool delivered an impressive performance to beat Zunaira Imran 3-0, with scores of 11/7, 11/6, 11/5 in 25 minutes.In the Boys Under-14 Final, promising player Fazal Rehman dominated Mohammad Tahoor Tahir, winning 11/7, 11/5, 11/4 in 18 minutes.The three-day championship concluded with a prize distribution ceremony, where squash legend Jahangir Khan was the chief guest. Speaking at the event, he emphasized the need for hard work and dedication among young athletes. He announced that the Jahangir Khan Sports Club will continue to provide international level training opportunities to deserving and talented players.Additionally, participation certificates were awarded to all players who took part in the tournament, recognizing their effort and commitment to the sport.Jahangir Khan also announced that an International Squash Circuit Tournament will be hosted at the club in July.

Islamabad (SBR): Ijaz -ur -Rehman and Lieutenant Colonel Retired Kamran Khalid Janjua have been elected as President and Secretary General of the Pakistan Tenpin Bowling Federation (PTBF) respectively. According to an official: all the office bearers of the Pakistan Ten Pin Bowling Federation have been elected unopposed, as no papers have been submitted against them. The Election Commission has announced his unopposed success. According to the Pakistan Sports Board's supervision and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Election Commission, Ijaz -ul -Rahman has been elected as President, while Aleem Agha and Asif Orakzai have been elected senior vice presidents, Mehboob -ur -Rehman and Mohammad Mohsin. In other officials  Lieutenant Colonel Retired Kamran Khalid Janjua has been elected Secretary General, Mohammad Hussain Chhatta, Ramesh Ali and Shabbir Lashkarwala as Joint Secretaries, Shabbir Hussain and Rana Shahzad Akhtar were elected unopposed.  The Election Commission has made it clear that the electoral process is being carried out in accordance with full transparency, the Constitution of the Federation, the relevant rules and regulations and the National Sports Policy 2005.

Lahore(PR): The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has named a squad for the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, set to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia from June 29 to July 5.Pakistan has been drawn into Group E alongside Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan. The team will open its campaign against Chinese Taipei on June 29, followed by matches against hosts Indonesia on July 2 and Kyrgyzstan on July 5.To gear up for the qualifiers, the squad will hold a preparatory training camp under the guidance of Head Coach Adeel Rizki at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad, from June 19 to 26.Goalkeepers: Jennah Farooki, Nisha Ashraf, Zeeyana JivrajDefenders: Aliya Sadiq, Layla Banaras, Maria Khan (C), Nizalia Siddiqui, Sophia QureshiMidfielders: Amina Hanif, Azwa Chaudhry, Marsha Malik, Rameen Fareed, Sanah Mehdi, Suha HiraniForwards: Anmol Hira, Aqsa Mushtaq, Isra Khan, Mariam Mahmood, Nadia Khan, Zehmena Malik, Zulfia Nazir

London(SBR): South Africa ended 27 years of hurt by beating Australia at Lord’s to win the ICC World Test Championship 2025.Aiden Markram’s majestic 136 led the way as the Proteas sealed a five-wicket victory to lift this trophy for the first time and end a drought stretching back to the 1998 Champions Trophy.Australia did not give up without a fight, claiming the scalps of Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs before Markram was caught at mid-wicket with just six runs required having taken his side within touching distance.It was left to David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to complete the job and spark joyous scenes from the sizable South African contingent inside the Home of Cricket, Verreynne hitting the winning runs to seal a memorable triumph.South Africa resumed on 213 for two, needing 69 more to seal the deal, and would have been pleased to see the early morning cloud give way to sunshine when they took to the field in North-West London.But Australia began in typically determined fashion and claimed the early breakthrough they required in the third over of the morning, Pat Cummins finding Bavuma’s edge when the Proteas skipper had added just a single to his overnight score of 65.The incoming Stubbs survived an Australian review for lbw when the ball was shown to be missing leg stump, with Markram dispatching the next ball to the mid-wicket boundary to take the runs required to 50.Australia’s bowlers continued to steam in and gave themselves a sniff when Starc delivered a beauty which cleaned up Stubbs and left South Africa 241 for four.The same bowler soon struck Bedingham on the pads and Australia again went upstairs. Replays showed the impact was outside the line of off-stump, however, and the 2023 champions found themselves out of reviews.Markram and Bedingham played sensibly to inch South Africa towards their place in the history books. The pair rotated the strike effectively and played with a calm which belied the pressure of the situation, Bedingham driving Cummins gloriously down the ground to move the target within 20.Australia took the new ball with 14 required and Markram greeted it dismissively, whipping Hazlewood through the leg-side for four from the first delivery of the 81st over.That brought South Africa to the brink but Markram was unable to finish the job he had played such a key role in orchestrating, chipping Hazlewood to Travis Head.Verreynne joined Bedingham and the wicketkeeper struck the final blow in the 84th over, driving Starc through the off-side to begin the celebrations and ensure these 11 names will be etched into South African cricketing folklore for generations to come.Scores in briefAustralia v South Africa – ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, Lord’s – Day FourAustralia 212 all out in 56.4 overs (Beau Webster 72, Steve Smith 66; Kagiso Rabada 5/51, Marco Jansen 3/49) and 207 all out in 65 overs (Mitchell Starc 58 not out, Alex Carey 43; Kagiso Rabada 4/59, Lungi Ngidi 3/38)South Africa 138 all out in 57.1 overs (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36; Pat Cummins 6/28, Mitchell Starc 2/41) and 282/5 in 83.4 overs (Aiden Markram 136, Temba Bavuma 66; Mitchell Starc 3/66, Josh Hazlewood 1/58)Result: South Africa win by five wickets

LAHORE(PR): The Bank of Punjab Junior National Tennis Championship 2025 officially commenced on Thursday at the Punjab Tennis Academy, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore, amidst a vibrant and well-attended opening ceremony. The tournament was inaugurated by Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Senior Executive Vice President of the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA), who graced the occasion as the chief guest. Also present were Omer Dilshad, Mehboob Waheed, and Faheem Siddiqui, the tournament coordinator.  The ceremony began with the introduction of all participating players to the chief guest, who then proceeded to witness a men’s singles match, appreciating the talent and determination displayed by the young competitors. His presence and encouragement were a morale booster for the budding tennis stars competing for national glory. More than 20 matches were played on the opening day of the championship across various age categories, with top seeds asserting their dominance and progressing comfortably to the second round.  In the boys’ U-18 category, Mohammad Omar Ali overcame a tough challenge from Ahad Usman, winning 3-6, 6-3, 3-1 (retired). Zohaib Afzal Malik delivered a flawless performance, defeating Zayd Zaman 6-0, 6-0, while Ohad-e-Mustafa cruised past Reehan Khan with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Omer Jawad also advanced, outplaying Junaid Khan 6-1, 6-2 in a commanding display. The boys’ U-14 category also witnessed exciting matches. Ahmad Fareed Yawar secured a win over Ahmad Khuda Bakhsh with a scoreline of 4-0, 1-0 (retired), and Ibraheem Gill outclassed Ali Muntazim 4-0, 4-0. Aliyan Ali defeated M. Ehsan Bari 4-0, 4-1, while Ohad-e-Mustafa showed his versatility by defeating Shazain Faisal 4-1, 4-1. In the final notable match of the day, Omer Zaman triumphed over Hamza Ali Jutt with an impressive 4-1, 4-0 score.

Islamabad (Sports Desk): Nathan Lyon believes the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 represents a significant step in Australia's quest to become one of the all-time great Test teams.The 37-year-old off-spinner is part of Andrew McDonald’s squad to take on South Africa at Lord’s in the finale of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.Australia will be looking to defend the title they won in 2023 after beating India by 209 runs at The Oval, and Lyon, who took the match-winning wicket of Mohammed Siraj in that victory, wants to build on the progress that has been made since then.“It is important that we look at this week as a celebration piece,” he said.“We’ve done incredibly well over the last couple of years, at home and away, and that is something that as a team, we should be really proud of.“In my eyes, we’re on a journey to becoming a great Australian team. We’re not there yet, I’m well aware of that, but that’s our goal too.“This game is another step up that ladder.”Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.They were also the only nation not to lose a series in that time, winning four of the six series they played.Their percentage was only bettered by the table-topping Proteas’ 69.44 per cent.Lyon, a New South Wales native, has taken 56 wickets against South Africa in 18 matches during his career and expects nothing less than a fierce contest with the side captained by Temba Bavuma.“Yes, we’ve been here before, but South Africa qualified first during this World Test Championship,” he continued.“Throughout these two years, they’ve done something really well to finish top, and so they deserve that home changing room leading into this game.“It’s international cricket. We’re expecting an extremely hard challenge and there’s going to be a lot of problems out there, but we’re going to have to be good enough to solve those problems ASAP.”Australia have plenty of firepower within their bowling ranks for this match, with five of those selected within the top 14 of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling rankings.Lyon himself sits fifth on that list, with captain Pat Cummins in third, Josh Hazlewood in fourth, with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in 11th and 14th, respectively.Cummins (73), Starc (72) and Lyon (66) also currently occupy positions two through four on the leading wicket-takers list for this edition of the WTC, with only India’s Jasprit Bumrah ahead of them with 77 wickets.The presence of multiple experienced and skilled bowlers in the Australian camp is only improving the standards in training, revealed Lyon.“As a bowling squad, we are very proud of where we are currently at,” he said.“But we’re not leaving any stone unturned and we’re still trying to get better as a bowling group.“I feel that spurs each and every one of us on to get better.”Australia last played Test cricket in England during the 2023 Ashes series – the opening contest of the 2023-25 WTC cycle – but many from the squad have since taken the opportunity to return to play on the shores of the old rival.Lyon played for Lancashire in 2024, while Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Beau Webster have represented Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, respectively, this season.Green’s stint in England has been particularly impressive, with the all-rounder plundering 467 runs in just five County Championship Division 2 matches at an average of 66.71.He has also scored three hundreds, including match-winning knocks of 128 and 67 not out against Kent in mid-May.And Lyon feels the 26-year-old will learn a lot from his stint in the West Country.“It’s been amazing to have Greeny over here,” he added.“I think he’s played four or five games for Gloucestershire and done really well. So, hopefully, that gives him the confidence to pick things up from where he left off.“It’s important, especially for the younger players, like Greeny, to come over here and play county cricket.“I feel like you get a lot of understanding of how the game is played over here in these conditions, how the Dukes ball moves around and how the overhead conditions play a role.”

Lausanne, Switzerland(PR):  Monday's lone FIH Hockey Pro League fixture offered plenty of drama in an enthralling clash in Amsterdam. The Netherlands men did just enough to complete the double over India and stretch their lead at the top of the table.(Men's) Netherlands 3 – 2 IndiaThe Netherlands boosted their title hopes with a riveting 3-2 win over a fired-up Indian side who were left to rue a poor conversion rate from their nine penalty corners.Both teams created great scoring opportunities in the opening quarter, Abhishek and Shilanand Lakra missing narrowly for India, and Tjep Hoedemakers clattering one into the post for the Netherlands. India held the initial advantage, though, making numerous pass intercepts and one-on-one steals that led to regular circle entries.India carried their momentum into the second period and went ahead in the 20th minute. Playing in his 100th match for India, Abhishek sent a blistering strike into the roof of the net. The Dutch gradually settled into the game, though, and equalised four minutes later. Captain Thierry Brinkman crabbed some distance along the baseline before popping the ball across goal for Thijs van Dam to swat it in from waist height. The scores were locked 1-1 at half time.Tjep Hoedemakers gave the hosts the lead in the 33rd minute, when his high-quality deflection from close range gave goalkeeper Pathak no chance to adjust his angles. Pathak got a good touch to disrupt the Dutch a couple of minutes later, though, and India finished the third period in the ascendancy with a flurry of attacks and penalty corners.With just one goal separating the teams, there was no thought of playing conservatively in the final quarter. Both teams had chances before Jugraj Singh equalised for India with a 54th-minute drag flick. Kumar Upadhyay Lalit then very nearly upset the home fans, stealing a loose ball off the last Dutch defender, but his cheeky lobbed shot was gloved away by a frantically backpedalling Maurits Visser. The winning goal came with just three minutes remaining, when Jip Janssen's drag flick sealed the victory for the Dutch.

Islamabad(PR): The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has welcomed FIFA’s exclusive invitation to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to join the ‘Football for Schools’ (F4S) programme, calling it a timely and positive development in the country’s football journey.According to the PSB, the recent completion of elections and formal reconstitution of the PFF marks a new beginning for football in Pakistan. FIFA’s invitation is being seen as a golden opportunity to promote football at the grassroots level, particularly among school-aged children. If Pakistan confirms its participation, FIFA will provide 164,940 footballs for children aged 4 to 14 across primary and secondary schools, along with a one-time grant of USD 50,000 to help launch the initiative effectively.A PSB spokesperson stated that his is a step in the right direction. With the reorganisation of the Football Federation now complete, we have a real chance to revive sports at the school level, promote healthy activities, and connect our youth with the spirit of the game.”As part of the initiative, schools and educators will gain access to a dedicated Football for Schools mobile application featuring training content and instructional guidance. In addition, FIFA will send a team of experts to conduct capacity-building workshops—either online or on-ground—to enhance the skills of physical education instructors in Pakistan.The Pakistan Sports Board reaffirmed its full support for the initiative and expressed hope that the Pakistan Football Federation will seize this international opportunity to lay the foundation for a brighter future for football in the country—starting from the schools.

Yangon(SBR): The head coach of the Pakistan Men’s National Football Team, Stephen Constantine, addressed the media in a pre-match press conference today, ahead of Pakistan’s crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier against Myanmar.Opening his remarks, Constantine expressed gratitude to the hosts, stating: "Firstly, thank you very much to the Myanmar Football Association for the hospitality."He acknowledged the tough challenge ahead but maintained confidence in his players' efforts and attitude. "I think for us it will be a very difficult game. For Pakistan, all of the games are difficult. I think everyone knows our situation, but we have a good group of players. They have worked hard over the last few days and we will come here to try to win the game."The coach highlighted the team's focus and adaptability in preparation for the match. "We come here to play football. I think the boys have adapted well to the training. We just have to get on with it. Every single game you play for Pakistan is important – even friendlies."Reflecting on the previous fixture against Syria, Constantine shared: "We prepared, we played with Syria in the last game. We lost 2-0, but I think we played quite well."Responding to a question he said: "Myanmar won their last game, so of course they're playing at home, they will be favourites for this game. But we will fight like we do in every game and we will try to get the result that we want, which is to win. We didn't come here to lose."Pakistan will face Myanmar tomorrow in Yangon in their second Group E fixture of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers. The match will take place at the Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, with kickoff scheduled for 03:30 PM Pakistan Standard Time.