Karachi (Sports Report):-Central Punjab opener Abid Ali complained of chest pain during his innings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final-round match at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi today. Abid left the batting crease at 61 in Central Punjab’s second innings. Abid was taken immediately to a cardiac hospital where he was diagnosed as a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome. He is under the care of Consultant Cardiologist who is liaising with PCB medical team regarding further treatment. He is currently stable.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 244 runs at the UBL Sports Complex Karachi in the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Tuesday to set-up pink-ball five-day final against Northern at the National Stadium from 25 December. Right-arm fast Sameen Gul took three for 42 while Imran Khan Snr, Sajid Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed picked two wickets each as Central Punjab were dismissed for 250 after resuming this morning at 123 for no loss and chasing 495 for victory. The openers Abid Ali and Rizwan Hussain fought hard for Central Punjab. Abid scored 61 off 148 balls before retiring out. His partner Rizwan top-scored with 67 off 145, hitting 12 fours and one six. Hussain Talat coming to bat at number-five contributed a 132-ball 46, which included seven fours. At NBP Sports Complex, six wickets from leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood led Sindh to a 48-run win over Southern Punjab. The win didn’t help Sindh to qualify for the final as they finished on the third spot with 143 points. Chasing 232 to win, Southern Punjab were bowled out for 183 in the 55th over. Yousuf Babar, batting at number-five top-scored with a 124-ball 57, smashing six fours. Wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan contributed 25 off 37 balls, which included three fours. Sindh’s Zahid picked six wickets f0r 101 and ended-up taking eight wickets in the match. Mohammad Asghar with his left-arm spin bagged three for 35. Earlier, resuming their second innings on 294 for seven, Sindh were bowled out for 306 in the 77th over. Ali Usman picked four wickets for 102. At the conclusion of tenth and final round matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Northern topped the table with 152 points and will face Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the final who finished on second spot with 150 points. Scores in brief: Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 48 runs at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) and 306 all out, 76.2 overs (Saad Khan 63, Saud Shakil 63, Khurram Manzoor 59; Ali Usman 4-102) Southern Punjab 385 all out, 94 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48, Ali Usman 38 not out; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-61, Mohammad Asghar 2-72, Zahid Mehmood 2-153) and 183 all out, 55 overs (Yousuf Babar 57; Zahid Mahmood 6-101, Mohammad Asghar 3-35) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 244 runs at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 249-4 (decl), 67 overs (Fakhar Zaman 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 not out, Adil Amin 54 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 45; Bilawal Iqbal 3-45) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) and 250 all out, 101.5 overs (Rizwan Hussain 67, Abid Ali 61 retired out, Hussain Talat 46; Sameen Gul 3-42, Iftikhar Ahmed 2-18, Imran Khan Snr 2-31, Sajid Khan 2-63)

Karachi (Sports Report):-A maiden first-class triple-century by Mohammad Huraira and six wickets from Mubasir Khan lead Northern to an innings and 170 runs win over Balochistan on day three of the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium on Monday. The match was being live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Resuming their innings at the overnight score 0f 449 for two, Northern declared their innings on 631 for four in 124 overs. Huraira who resumed his batting on 243 continued to play shots all across the ground and brought up his first triple-century in the 113th over of the innings. The 19-year old right-handed batter struck 40 fours and four sixes during his innings of 311 off 343 balls faced and also became the second youngest Pakistan batter to score a first-class triple century. In reply, Balochistan trailing by 316 runs were bowled out for 146 in the 35th over handing Northern a comprehensive an innings and 170-run win over the former. For Balochistan only three players managed to enter into double figures with opening batter Imran Butt top-scoring with a 101-ball 81, hitting 13 fours. Northern’s off-spinner Mubasir grabbed six wickets for 49 in 10.4 overs, while right-arm fast Musa picked two wickets for 60. The win over Balochistan confirms Northern place in the pink-ball final scheduled to take place at National Stadium Karachi from 25-29 December. At UBL Sports Complex, chasing 495 to win, Central Punjab were 123 for no loss in 43 overs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when stumps were drawn. Abid Ali (49, eight fours, 121b) and Rizwan Hussain (66, 12 fours, one six, 141b) will resume their batting tomorrow. Earlier, resuming their second innings on 89 for no loss, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared their innings on 249 for four in 67 overs. Left-handed opening batter Fakhar Zaman top-scored with a 102-ball 62, which included 12 fours and one six. Captain Iftikhar Ahmed scored an unbeaten 61 off 82 balls, hitting seven fours. Adil Amin coming to bat at number-six returned undefeated on a 78-ball 54, which included three fours. The pair stitched a 114-run unbroken partnership for the fifth wicket. For Central Punjab, Bilawal Iqbal picked three wickets for 45. At NBP Sports Complex, Sindh were leading by 219 with three second innings wickets in hand against Southern Punjab at the close of play. Left-handed batter Saad Khan returned undefeated on 63, while Saud Shakeel (63, seven fours, 113b) and Khurram Manzoor (59, 10 fours, 73b) were other significant contributors with the bat. For Southern Punjab, Ali Usman grabbed three wickets for 92. Earlier, resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 333 for six, Southern Punjab were dismissed for 385 in the 94th over with a 75-run first innings lead. The right-handed Ali scored an unbeaten 38 off 83 balls. For Sindh, right-arm fast Shahnawaz Dahani picked three wickets for 61 in 17 overs, while spinners Mohammad Asghar and Zahid Mahmood bagged two wickets apiece. Scores in brief: Northern beat Balochistan by an innings and 170 runs at State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 305 all out, 59.1 overs (Shan Masood 190, Kashif Bhatti 68; Kashif Ali 4-49, Athar Mehmood 4-100) and 146-9, 34.4 overs (Imran Butt 81, Imam-ul-Haq 31; Mubasir Khan 6-43) Northern 631-4 (decl), 124 overs (Mohammad Huraira 311, Sarmad Bhatti 135, Umer Amin 51; Akif Javed 2-105) Points so far: Balochistan 3; Northern 25 Sindh vs Southern Punjab - NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) and 294-7, 70 overs (Saad Khan 63 not out, Saud Shakil 63, Khurram Manzoor 59; Ali Usman 3-92) Southern Punjab 385 all out, 94 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48, Ali Usman 38 not out; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-61, Mohammad Asghar 2-72, Zahid Mehmood 2-153) Points so far: Sindh 6; Southern Punjab 7 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 249-4 (decl), 67 overs (Fakhar Zaman 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 not out, Adil Amin 54 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 45; Bilawal Iqbal 3-45) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) and 123-0, 43 overs (Rizwan Hussain 66 not out, Abid Ali 49 not out) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan will take on South Korea in the first semifinal of the 6th Asian Hockey Champions Trophy (AHCT) 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh: the match will start at 2:30 pm according to Pakistan Standard Times. The second semi-final will be played between India and Japan. The semi-finals of the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy under the auspices of the Asian Hockey Federation will be played on December 21 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The first semi-final will be played between Pakistan and Korea at 2:30 pm (Pakistan time) while the second semi-final will be played between India and Japan at 5:00 pm Pakistan time. The teams of Pakistan and India are the defending champions of this mega event and both the teams have won the title of three times.

Lahore (Sports Report):-The Lahore Division Basketball Association announced that the Prof. Dr. Asghar Zaidi (TI) Vice Chancellor (GCU) All Pakistan 3X3 Men and Women Basketball Tournaments would be held at Government College University (GCU) Lahore under the supervision of Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBF). According to an official, the Men's Basketball tournament will be held from 21th to 23rd December, 2021 while the Women Basketball tournament will be conducted from 27th to 29th December, 2021. The departmental basketball players only can play from their departments and Divisional basketball players will only be allowed to play from their respective club.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Combaxx Sports General Manager Zubair Macha has said that youth are our future and by promoting sports at grass-root level, we can produce world-class players to win laurel for the country at national and international level. Speaking at the opening ceremony of SSA Quaid-e-Azam Day Softball Festival as chief guest at Trinity Girls School and College Ground, he said that his organization has been playing a pivotal role in unearthing new talent by patronizing sports and sportsmen and these efforts will be further accelerated with the passage of time to make a difference on the sports front. Softball Federation of Pakistan Chairperson Tehmina Asif, Sindh Softball Association President Waseem Hashmi, Secretary Mohammad Zeeshan Merchant, Finance Secretary Murad Hussain, Chairman Coaching Committee Faraz Aijaz, and a number of other sports organizers were also present on the occasion. The Combaxx Sports GM said that school and college-level sports are a must for promoting any sports and he hoped that the current softball tournament was dedicated to the Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah at this educational institution will promote talent among youngsters. He lauded the holding of the softball tournaments at the school and college level and hoped that such events will definitely help provide opportunities to youth to horn their skills and shine into gems.   He said that Combaxx Sports plays a pivotal role in promoting sports at the national and international level by providing quality sports goods to youth at reasonable and affordable prices so that they can avail and utilize world-level sports goods to be at par with international players. Later, Jinnah IX easily overcame Quaid-e-Millat IX 12-8 in the inaugural match of the day. Highlights of the match were the good display of talent by Ammara, Fareesha, and Nida, who scored 3 runs each. In the second match of the day, Iqbal IX beat Fatima Jinnah IX 13-11 runs after a sensational contest.  Zara, Ayesa, Mursaleen and Farah Khan scored two runs each for the winners. For the losing side, Hira Mughal, Samina Haris, and Muneea Farhan scored two runs each.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 20, 2021):-New Zealand national cricket team will visit Pakistan to play two Tests and three One Day International matches series next year in December/January 2022-23 as part of the Future Tours Programme and will tour again in April 2023 to play 10 limited overs matches to make-up for the September 2021 abandoned tour. According to media department of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the arrangement was finalised following meetings and discussions between the PCB and NZC Chairmen Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden. The two Tests and three ODIs will be part of the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, respectively, while the second visit will include two additional ODIs and will now comprise five ODIs and five T20Is that will count towards the ICC Rankings. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations, and thank Martin Snedden and his board for their understanding and support. This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations the two boards have and reconfirms Pakistan’s status as an important member of the cricket fraternity.” NZC Chief Executive David White: “Our respective chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden, had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations. “It’s good to be going back.” The latest announcement means Pakistan will host eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is against Australia, England and New Zealand in the period from March 2022 to April 2023.

LAHORE (Sports Report):-WAPDA’s wrestlers showed their physical strength and power during the two-day national wrestling fixture and got top position. Army spotted on second place while Railway remained third. Hosts Higher Education Commission (HEC) claimed fourth position. Naseem Ahmed, Vice Chancellor, University of Veterinary Sciences; Javed Memon, Director Sports, Higher Education and Chaudhry Mohammad Mubeen, President, Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) were the special guests. In this championship, the Army team surprisingly did not get any gold. At the end, Pakistan WAPDA grabbed Seven Gold, One Silver, One Brown, Pakistan Army, Six Silver, Four Browns, and Pakistan Railways won couple of gold medals. At the end, the players and former wrestlers appreciated the management of the University of Veterinary Sciences for the excellent organization of the championship. Rana Majda was the director of sports at the university.

Special Report Dhaka (December 19, 2021):-Pakistan Outclassed hosts Bangladesh 6-2 in their last league match of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021 to ensure their place in top-four stage in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Sunday. According to the details, Pakistan made it to the semi-finals in the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the last match of the Robin Round matches, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh 2-6 to improve their pole position and move to third position. In the points table, India is first with 10 points, Korea is second with 6 points, Pakistan are third with five points with better goal average while Japan is fourth with 5 points. In the 13th minute of the first quarter of the match, Bangladesh took the lead by scoring a field goal with the help of Arshad Hussain. In the 14th minute of the match, Ahmed Nadeem of Pakistan scored a goal through a field goal. Ejaz Ahmed scored a field goal for Pakistan in the 18th minute of the game to give Pakistan the lead. Ahmed Nadeem scored the fourth goal for Pakistan in the 26th minute of the match. Salman Razzaq scored for Pakistan in the 34th minute of the match through penalty corner. In the 35th minute of the match Bangladesh scored Arshad Hussain tried to reduce the deficit by scoring a goal while Pakistani striker Ijaz Ahmed scored a goal in the 38th minute of the game to seal the victory for Pakistan to reach the semi-finals and the man of the match. Pakistan got a better goal average and moved up to the third position in the points table in the event. The semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy will be played on December 21 after a one-day break. Pakistan will take on Korea in the semi-final at 2:30 pm Pakistan time while the match between India and Japan will be played at 5:00 pm Pakistan time.

Karachi (Sports Report):-A maiden first-class century by Mohammad Huraira put table-toppers Northern in a commanding position against bottom placed Balochistan on day two of the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium on Sunday. The match is being live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Resuming their innings at the overnight score of 28 for no loss, in reply to Balochistan first innings score of 305, Northern’s opening pair of Huraira and Sarmad Bhatti put up a 365-run partnership for the first wicket. The left-handed Sarmad struck his second century of the tournament while scoring 135 off 243 with 16 fours and eight sixes. His partner, right-handed Huraira, returned undefeated on 243 off 265 balls faced. The 20-year old Huraira innings included 30 fours and four sixes during 437-minute stay at the crease. Northern were 449 for two in 91.4 overs and lead by 144 runs when stumps were drawn. At the UBL Sports Complex, Central Punjab were bowled out for 110 in the 32nd over against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first innings score of 355 and were unlikely to qualify for the pink-ball final from 25-29 December at National Stadium Karachi. Resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 305 for seven, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 355 in the 96th over. Rehan Afridi scored an unbeaten 84-ball 63 which included nine fours, while Test off-spinner Sajid Khan scored 51 off 53, hitting five fours and three sixes. For Central Punjab, Faheem Ashraf and Muhammad Ali picked three wickets apiece. In return, Central Punjab batters failed to display their skills and only three batters managed to get into the double figures. Azhar Ali top-scored with a 77-ball 43, which included seven fours. Zafar Gohar returned undefeated on 22. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s right-arm pacers Imran Khan Snr and Sameen Gul picked three wickets apiece. At stumps, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their second innings were 89 for no loss, leading by 334 runs. Fakhar Zaman (48, four fours, one six, 78b) and Sahibzada Farhan (40, seven fours, 73b) will resume their batting tomorrow. At NBP Sports Complex, Southern Punjab’s Zeeshan Ashraf century took his side to a 23-run lead over Sindh when stumps were drawn for the day. Resuming their innings on the overnight score of 275 for five, Sindh were dismissed for 310 in the 97th over. Test player Fawad Alam could add only 10 runs to his overnight score and fell to Ali Usman for 85. Sarfaraz Ahmed scored an unbeaten 34 off 44, hitting five fours. For Southern Punjab, Naseem Shah and Ali bagged four wickets apiece. In return, left-handed Zeeshan’s 108 off 110 helped Southern Punjab post 333 for six in 76 overs at the close of play. Zeeshan’s innings included 11 fours and six sixes. Earlier, opening pair of Tayyab Tahir (69, 11 fours, two sixes, 112) and Umar Siddiq (30, five fours, 53b) added 81 for the first wicket. The left-handed Yousuf Babar coming to bat at number-five scored a 117-ball 64, which included 10 fours. Azam Khan batting at number six added a quick-fire 32-ball 48, smashing nine fours and one six. For Sindh, spinners Mohammad Asghar and Zahid Mahmood picked two wickets each. Scores in brief: Sindh vs Southern Punjab - NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) Southern Punjab 333-6, 76 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48; Mohammad Asghar 2-64, Zahid Mehmood 2-140) Points so far: Sindh 5; Southern Punjab 6 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 89-0, 25.1 overs (Fakhar Zaman 48 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 40 not out) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 9; Central Punjab 3 Balochistan vs Northern - State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 305 all out, 59.1 overs (Shan Masood 190, Kashif Bhatti 68; Kashif Ali 4-49, Athar Mehmood 4-100) Northern 449-2, 91.4 overs (Mohammad Huraira 243 not out, Sarmad Bhatti 135) Points so far: Balochistan 3; Northern 8.