ISLAMABAD (PR): Pakistan tennis has received a major boost at the international level as 8 Pakistani officials have been included in various prestigious committees of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) for the 2026–2027 term.This remarkable achievement reflects the growing recognition of Pakistan’s contribution to the development and promotion of tennis at both regional and global levels.ITF Committees and Commissions (2026–2027)Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi – ITF Athlete CommissionAlong with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, the following renowned former players are also members of this prestigious commission: Mary Pierce (France)-Mark Woodforde (Australia)-Iva Majoli (Croatia)-Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)-Feliciano López (Spain)-Mollie Levy (United States)Sara Mansoor – ITF Coaches CommissionSyed Mohammad Ali Murtaza – ITF Junior CommitteeAsian Tennis Federation (ATF) Committees (2026–2027)Pakistani representatives have also secured key positions in various ATF committees:• Salim Saifullah Khan – Finance Committee, Development Advisor Group, Legal, Constitution & Ethics Committee• Col. Zia-ud-Din Tufail (R) – Junior & Coaches Development Committee• Rashid Malik – Marketing & Sponsorship Committee• Shahzad Akhtar Alvi – Tournament Officiating Committee• Sara Mansoor – Advantage All Committee• Mohammad Khalid Rehmani – Senior, Wheelchair & Beach Tennis Committee.

Mohammad Azam DarISLAMABAD: Teams from Pakistan Army Whites, Army Reds and WAPDA Blues advanced to the quarterfinal round in the women’s category of the ongoing Pak-China Friendship Cup 3x3 Basketball Championship 2026 at the Liaquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.The four-day event is being organized by the Federal Basketball Association (FBBA) with the support of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).In the women’s category matches, Army Whites defeated WAPDA Blues 21-12, while Army Reds secured a convincing 14-6 victory over Islamabad Bulls. WAPDA Black also registered an impressive win, defeating DHA Rebels 18-11. In another match, WAPDA Blues outclassed Fast Phoenix 15-4. Lycans C dominated Thunders C with an 18-5 victory, while Lycans B edged past Thunders B 8-4.In the departmental category, PAF defeated WAPDA Red 21-15, while Army Red beat Police 21-13. WAPDA Green also recorded a comfortable 22-10 win against POF B.In the first round of club category fixtures, Pelicans defeated YMCA 21-12, while Raptors Black completely dominated Islamabad Wolves with an 18-1 victory. Paces beat Ravens A 21-8, while Raptors Red overcame Hunter C 21-13. Lycans A registered a narrow 14-13 win over Cosmic Saxon, while Air Ballers edged Islamabad Stallions 10-8 in a closely contested encounter.

Ismailia, Egypt (Sports News): Pakistan and England booked their tickets to the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 by winning their respective semi-finals at the qualifying tournament in Ismailia, Egypt on Friday.England made sure of their spot with an emphatic 7-1 win over Malaysia while Pakistan pulled off a last-gasp 4-3 victory over Japan. The winners will meet in the final on Saturday.Malaysia and Japan still have a chance to qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 by winning the bronze medal playoff, also on Saturday. The highest-ranked fourth-place team across all the qualifying tournaments will also secure a World Cup place.Meanwhile, in the other match of the day in Ismailia, Egypt claimed a comprehensive 4-0 win over Austria and will take on China in the playoff for fifth place.(Men’s) England 7 – 1 MalaysiaEngland racked up six goals in the second half as they advanced to the final with an emphatic 7-1 win over Malaysia.England enjoyed a significant advantage in possession and territory throughout the match, but a highly organised and energetic Malaysian defence kept the scoreline tight in the first half. England’s Jacob Payton bunted an early shot wide from close range, and Will Calnan pulled a tomahawk shot slightly left of goal before Sam Ward fired them ahead with a 19th minute drag flick. Malaysian goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman made two important saves to keep the score at 1-0 in England’s favour at half time.England kept applying pressure in the third quarter and the goals started to come. Sam Hooper landed a heavy drag flick in the 36th minute, and Tom Sorsby rifled a reverse strike into the roof of the net in the 41st. Stuart Rushmere did brilliantly to stop his leading run on a dime, collecting a pass behind him on the reverse stick and steering it in for a 4-0 lead. Malaysia pulled one back in the 50th minute, Faizal Saari sprinting 50 metres to receive a pass and fire across goal where Shafiq Hassan outpaced the scrambling English defence for an excellent deflection. England finished strongly, with Zach Wallace adding a delicate short corner deflection in the 54th minute, and both Rushmere and Hooper completing their braces in the 59th and 60th.(Men’s) Pakistan 4 – 3 JapanPakistan grabbed three late goals in a thrilling 4-3 win over Japan to secure their spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup.The Japanese had an early chance to go ahead when Tsubasa Tanaka found himself one-on-one against the keeper, but he flipped it over the crossbar. Muhammad Ammad opened the scoring for Pakistan in the 9th minute, pouncing on the rebound after his first shot was saved by Takumi Kitagawa and deflected back to him off the post. Japan were denied from a couple of penalty corners, including a sensational Arshad Liaqat save on the post. They did level the scores in the 21st minute though, Ryoma Ooka finishing with a good deflection from open play to take the teams to the break locked at 1-1.Shota Yamada edged Japan ahead with his 35th minute drag flick, and they doubled their lead in the 41st. A clever overhead behind the Pakistani defence drew their goalkeeper out of his circle, but he couldn’t clear to safety and Koji received the ball unmarked for a slap-in at the left post. The momentum seemed to be with Japan, but Pakistan dug deep and surged forward when the Japanese received a yellow card with 10 minutes remaining. Abu Mahmood reduced the deficit to one goal with his 52nd minute drag flick down the centre, and they drew level in the 55th when Sufyan Khan bulleted a drag flick between the goalkeeper and the post-man. There was plenty of drama at the finish. Afraz gave Pakistan the lead in the 57th minute with a sensational deflection from open play. Japan earned a penalty stroke immediately after, but Ali Raza read it well and saved it with his fully outstretched right foot to secure the win.Mohammad Ammad was named as the player of the match for Pakistan.(Men’s) Egypt 4 – 0 AustriaThere was plenty to celebrate for the hosts as Egypt marked Mohamed Ragab’s 100th international cap with a commanding 4–0 victory over Austria.The Egyptians struck first in the 9th minute when their second penalty corner of the match led to a penalty stroke after an Austrian defender was struck on the line. Ahmed Elganaini calmly stepped up and slotted the stroke into the right corner of the net to give the hosts the lead. The home side enjoyed the majority of possession during the second quarter and were rewarded again in the 25th minute. A crash ball into the circle from Mohamed Adel on the right found an unmarked Hussein Awad at the far post, and he fired it home to double Egypt’s advantage. The Egyptians had an opportunity to extend their lead to three goals with just over four minutes remaining in the half, but they missed a second penalty stroke and had to settle for a 2–0 lead heading into the break.Egypt lost some of their momentum at the start of the third quarter as Austria began to take greater control of possession. However, the Austrians were unable to capitalise, failing to convert any of their three penalty corners during the period (or indeed nine in the match). Egypt restored their grip on the game early in the final quarter when a clever penalty corner variation ended with a beautifully angled drag flick from Mahmoud Mamdouh to make it 3–0 in the 47th minute. The result was effectively sealed soon afterwards when a superb aerial pass from Ahmed Elganaini found Ziad Adel on the baseline. He controlled the ball well before smashing it in from an acute angle to wrap up a 4–0 victory.Egypt’s Mohamed Ragab was named as player of the match and said: “I’m very happy with my 100th game and also with the performance today of the team and all the players as well. We helped each other to achieve this win today.”

Islamabad (Sports News): English pair Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf will be in the middle for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.Illingworth will take charge of his second consecutive Men’s T20 World Cup Final, having stood alongside Chris Gaffaney in 2024.It continues Illingworth's impressive recent record of appointments, having also stood in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final and the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Final.He is joined by compatriot Wharf, who will oversee his first senior ICC World Cup Final.Wharf previously stood at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 events before he joined the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires last year.The pair, who were together in the middle for New Zealand’s semi-final victory over South Africa on Wednesday, are supported by third umpire Allahuddien Paleker and fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock, while the match referee is Andy Pycroft.South African Paleker was elevated to the Elite Panel of Umpires alongside Wharf in March 2025 and has stood in six matches during the tournament.ICC Match Officials:On-field Umpires: Richard Illingworth and Alex WharfThird Umpire: Allahuddien PalekerFourth Umpire: Adrian HoldstockMatch Referee: Andy Pycroft

Peshawar (Sports Report): Former Pakistan internationals Salman Butt and Aiman Anwer will be joined by Ali Younis, Shah Faisal, Raja Asad and Imranullah in the commentary panel.  The captains’ trophy shoot took place at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium on Friday. Saad Nasim, who is standing in as captain for Hussain Talat, will lead the defending champions Lahore Blues.He said, “It is going to be a challenging task to defend our title given the number of exciting and talented players across all the 10 teams. We also have a good blend of young and experienced players.We are also looking forward to playing T20 cricket at this new venue. I’m sure the local fans here in Peshawar will turn up in big numbers and make the tournament more exciting.”

Peshawar (Sports Report): The 12-day ABS Developers National T20 Cup is set to begin from Saturday at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar with the 10 regional teams vying for the title currently held by Lahore Blues. The defending champions are drawn in Group B alongside Abbottabad, Karachi Blues, Multan and Sialkot regions.The tournament will kick off with two Group A fixtures as Lahore Whites will take on Peshawar in the game starting at 4.15pm, while Faisalabad will be up against Karachi Whites at 9.15pm. The fifth team in Group A is Bahawalpur.A prize pot of PKR 8.5 million will be up for grabs as the winners will be awarded PKR five million and runners up PKR 2.5 million. Best batter, bowler, wicket-keeper and player of the tournament will pocket PKR 100,000 each. Player of the match will get PKR 25,000, while player of the final will get PKR 50,000.Karachi Blues and Bahawalpur are the two teams who have advanced to this tournament by playing the final of the 10-team Qualifier event held in Lahore from 14 to 24 February.Bahawalpur topped their group after winning three out of four matches and beat the Blues in the final by 59 runs. Karachi Blues, meanwhile, won all their four matches before falling short in the final.

Lahore (Staff Report):The HBL Pakistan Super League has announced that nominations for the 11th edition of HBL PSL Hamaray Heroes are now open. Fans from across the country can submit their nominations through an online form (available here) until 3pm on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.Hamaray Heroes, an initiative of the HBL PSL, was first introduced in the fifth edition of the HBL PSL in 2020 and has since become a huge success in a short span of time. The initiative will return for the sixth consecutive year, with the 11th edition set to be bigger and better than previous editions as eight teams feature in the league for the first time.The 11th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League will commence on 26 March, with defending champions Lahore Qalandars taking on Hyderabad Kingsmen in the opening match at Gaddafi Stadium.Through the Hamaray Heroes initiative, the Pakistan Cricket Board recognises and celebrates individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society and have played a role in enhancing the positive image of Pakistan.Some of the notable personalities who were recognised during HBL PSL Hamaray Heroes initiative include, Late Ali Sadpara (Record-breaking mountaineer), Arshad Nadeem (Gold medal in Paris Olympics in javelin), Arslan Ash (Professional E-Sports player), Inam Butt (Wrestler and Gold medalist in CW Games), Kiran Khan (Olympic swimmer), Mohammad Wasim (Boxer) and Dr Mariam Sultana (First Pakistani to do PhD in Astrophysics) The final list of nominees for Hamaray Heroes will be reviewed by a PCB panel tasked with shortlisting candidates who will be recognised during matches of the forthcoming HBL PSL 11.The PCB will present shortlisted candidates with cash awards during HBL PSL matches, while fans will also be able to watch short documentaries highlighting their achievements and inspiring life stories across HBL PSL digital platforms as well as during live match broadcasts.Fans can nominate personalities from various walks of life including, including but not limited to sports (other than cricket), education, healthcare, art, culture, music, social work, social entrepreneurship and technology. The initiative uses the reach and platform of the HBL PSL to acknowledge and celebrate Pakistanis who are making a meaningful difference in society.Nomination guidelines:• Individuals, groups, organisations and businesses can be nominated in multiple categories, depending on eligibility• Nominees must be citizens of Pakistan, individuals of Pakistani heritage, residents of Pakistan or organisations registered in Pakistan.• Nominees must not be employees of the PCB, employees of direct suppliers of commercial products or services to PCB, current employees or members of HBL PSL Hamaray Heroes or employees of presenting partners/sponsors of the initiative.• All submitted nominations and supporting material will remain the property of the PCB and will not be returned• The judges’ panel decision will be final and no further correspondence will be entertained• Submission of a nomination does not guarantee a place on the final shortlist or receipt of an awad

City of Santiago, Chile (Sports News): The final four pool matches of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifier in Santiago, Chile finished out today, deciding the remaining semifinal teams for the women’s Pool A and B.With a 4-0 victory over Malaysia, Japan joined Ireland at the top of Pool B and earned a spot in the semifinals. Ireland defeated Canada to finish number one in the group.In Pool A, host Chile claimed the top spot with a 1-0 win over France, as Australia secured the second with a 3-0 shutout over Switzerland.(Women’s) Japan 4 – 0 MalaysiaIn a matchup that would determine who moves on to the semifinals, Japan stepped up in the second half to secure the spot with a 4-0 win.The first two quarters were tight, and it seemed that Malaysia’s underdog mentality could propel them through. It was not meant to be, however, and halfway through the third frame, Shiho Kobayakawa tapped in a goal off the post to put Japan up, 1-0. Kobayakawa put in another for good measure as the quarter ended, dribbling down and hitting a reverse shot to double Japan’s lead.The game became out of reach for Malaysia in the fourth, as goals from Hiroka Murayama and Akari Nakagomi sent Japan’s margin of victory to 4-0.(Women’s) Canada 1 – 5 IrelandPerhaps due to having already clinched a semifinal spot, Ireland started out its match against Canada a touch complacent. Eager to pounce on the opportunity, Canada was the first to score, with Anna Mollenhauer striking on a penalty corner in the 13th minute.Ireland found its swagger in the second quarter and went on to score five unanswered goals. The first was a spectacular reverse hit and tip, sent in by Niamh Carey to Sarah Torrans. Caoimhe Perdue nailed the second of the quarter via set piece to put Ireland up, 2-1.Back-to-back tallies from Ireland came in the third quarter from Sarah Torrans and Jessica McMaster. Amy Handcock made it 5-1 with a penalty corner flick as time expired.(Women’s) Australia 3 – 0 SwitzerlandFollowing its narrow loss to Chile yesterday, Australia needed to find a win, which is exactly what it did against Switzerland.It was about eight minutes into play when Australia dealt its first blow — a pass from Amy Lawton dumped left for Neasa Flynn to put away. Switzerland responded admirably, however, turning in a strong defensive effort.Switzerland kept the No. 8 ranked Hockeyroos off the board for the middle two quarters, outlasting four penalty corners and numerous other attempts.Eventually, the force of Australia could not be contained any longer, and in the 51st minute, Neasa Flynn tallied again by tapping the ball out of the air on a set piece. Mihaylia Howell made it 3-0 for Australia will a well-timed tip over the goalkeeper.(Women’s) France 0 – 1 ChileWith the final semifinal spot at the Santiago qualifier on the line, France needed a big win against host Chile. France put on a good showing, but it was Chile who clinched the coveted spot with a 1-0 win.Las Diablas came in feeling confident, with yesterday’s win over Australia and the force of the home crowd behind them. Josefa Salas deflected in a shot off an early set piece opportunity to give Chile the first goal of the match.France settled into the game, but Chile refused to take its foot off the gas. An even second quarter gave way to a similarly close third, and tensions continued to heighten—seeing two yellow cards apiece in the second half. The final frame finished out the same, with a strong effort from both sides, but seeing Chile take the win.

Islamabad (Sports Report):Pakistan Army Whites, WAPDA Green, Navy and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) secured impressive victories in the departmental category of the Pak-China Friendship Cup All Pakistan 3x3 Basketball Championship at the Liaquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.The exciting matches of the championship, being held to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, are being organized by the Federal Basketball Association (FBBA) in collaboration with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).In the departmental contests, Army Whites defeated WAPDA Red 21-13, while Navy A outclassed the Police team with a convincing 21-5 victory. WAPDA Green edged past Army Green 20-17 in a closely contested match, whereas Pakistan Air Force beat Police Whites 22-6.In the women’s category, Army Red defeated Team Alpha 15-2, while WAPDA B overcame Dolphins 19-2. NUST registered a 17-1 win against Islamabad Titans, Islamabad Bulls defeated Alpha-B 14-6, and Lycans beat Wah Spring 11-2.On the opening day of the four-day championship, Deputy Director General of the Pakistan Sports Board Syed Naveed-ur-Rehman, Director National Federations Nasrullah Rana, Secretary General of Islamabad Olympic Association (IOA) Rizwan-ul-Haq Razi, Secretary General of the Federal Basketball Association (FBBA) Ouj Zahoor, Azam Dar and other notable personalities witnessed the matches.

Sports NewsIsmailia, Egypt – Malaysia and Japan claimed vital victories at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Ismailia on Wednesday to book their tickets to the semi-finals.The Malaysians held on for a 5-4 victory over China while Japan withstood a spirited fightback from Egypt, beating them 6-3 to join England and Pakistan in the final four. Pakistan had already secured their place before extending their winning run with a 4-2 victory over Austria on Wednesday.The results of the group games mean England will play Malaysia and Pakistan will take on Japan in the semi-finals on Friday, with the winners of those matches guaranteed a ticket to the FIH Hockey World Cup this August.(Men’s) Austria 2 – 4 PakistanPakistan wrapped up the group stage with another win, beating Austria 4-2.The match pitted contrasting styles against one another, but Austria did well to keep up with top-of-the-table Pakistan in the first half. The Pakistanis did get in front early, though, after successfully defending a penalty corner and counterattacking rapidly. Ghazanfar Ali produced a pinpoint pass across the goalkeeper for a diving Afraz to add the finishing touch in the 4th minute. It was a lead that they held onto through to half-time.After failing to convert any of their previous eight penalty corners, Pakistan opted for a different variation late in the third quarter, and it paid dividends with Abu Mahmoud dragging in their second goal in the 44th minute. Austria responded at the start of the final period, Max Kelner reducing the deficit with a well-worked penalty corner variation of their own. But Pakistan stretched their lead to 3–1 in the 51st minute when Sufyan Khan’s drag flick took a deflection off the first-wave runner from yet another penalty corner. Less than a minute later, they struck again, Mahmood completing his brace with a fierce drag into the bottom left corner. Austria managed to narrow the gap once again, this time through a Max Scholz penalty stroke in the 53rd minute, but too much damage had already been done, and they were unable to claw their way back.Ghazanfar Ali was named player of the match for Pakistan and said: “Austria is very good in the structure, but we played disciplined hockey in the last quarter and we won the game.”(Men’s) Malaysia 5 – 4 ChinaMalaysia held their nerve to book their semi-final ticket with a 5-4 win over China in an entertaining encounter.The Malaysians piled on plenty of pressure from the start and were rewarded for their efforts when Fitri Saari’s drag deflected in off a defender’s stick in the 5th minute. The Chinese response was immediate, with Xu Ao feeding in for an outstanding one-handed finish from a sliding Yaqi Wang to level the scores just moments later. China then took the lead for the first time off a penalty stroke in the 16th minute, Yulai Zhao deftly lifting it into the top right corner of the net. Again, there was an immediate reply, but this time the Malaysian goal was disallowed. It wasn’t until two minutes before the half-time break that they found the equaliser when the initial deflection off a penalty corner variation was saved, but Aiman Rozemi was on hand to tap in for 2-2.A beautiful deflection into the roof of the net off a penalty corner saw Faiz Jali edging Malaysia into the lead in the 36th minute. And despite being handed a five-minute yellow card, they managed to pull further in front with a penalty stroke in the 43rd, thanks again to Fitri Saari. Great work from Rozemi along the baseline ended with him popping the ball up to Faizal Saari to tap in Malaysia’s fifth at the start of the final quarter. The Chinese then pulled one back after a lovely piece of skill from Rui Su to set up Zhao for his second in the 51st minute. And they closed the gap even further when Benhai Chen rocketed in straight down the middle from a penalty corner three minutes later. But that was where the scoring ended, sending Malaysia into the semi-finals.Malaysia’s Aiman Rozemi was named player of the match and said: “I am very happy about this game. I think we played well for the game, but we still need to focus a bit in the last quarter, because when we are leading, we always… give them the chance to come back.”(Men’s) Japan 6 – 3 EgyptIn a match of massive momentum swings, Japan’s clinical start and composed finish proved decisive in a 6–3 defeat of Egypt which featured two hat-tricks.The Japanese controlled the first quarter and opened the scoring from the first penalty corner of the match, captain Raiki Fujishima rifling a drag flick into the top right corner in the 7th minute. They doubled their advantage moments later when Koji Yamasaki’s tomahawk from the top of the circle picked out Ryosuke Shinohara in front of goal to apply a deft deflection for Japan’s second. The third arrived via a swift counterattack after Egypt failed to make their second penalty corner count, Kazumasa Matsumoto crashing the ball home in the 11th minute.A defensive lapse in the 22nd minute handed Egypt a lifeline, a loose turnover inside the Japanese circle presenting a gilt-edged chance that Ahmed Elganaini gratefully accepted. Japan were 3-1 at the half-time break.A well-worked penalty corner variation in the 33rd minute saw Egypt right back in the match, with Elganaini providing the final touch to make it 3-2. Elganaini then completed his hat-trick with a field goal moments later to pull his side level. After a long period of Egyptian dominance, Japan managed to score against the run of play when Matsumoto slapped in his second in the 40th minute. And Fujishima put the result beyond doubt when he produced a phenomenal drag in the 52nd and another in the 59th to complete his own hat-trick and seal a somewhat flattering 6-3 win.