Top seeds move into quarterfinals of national ranking tennis c’ship I S L A M A B A D —Top
seed Aqeel Khan, Usman Rafiq, Heera Ashiq, Syed Zohair Raza Sanaullah Khan, Shahzad Khan, Ahmed Chaudhry and Muhammad Abid on Friday moved into the quarterfinal of men’s singles event in the 4th Syed Tajammul Abbas Memorial National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2014 here at PTF Tennis Complex, Islamabad. Aqeel Khan beat Hasnain Manzoor in straight sets 6-1,6-1, while Usman Rafiq eliminated Faizan Khurram at score 6-4,6-4. Zohair Raza who eliminated 8th Seed on Thursday, won his match in three sets against Hamza Bin Asif at score 6-7,6-3,6-0. Sanaullah Khan beat Ejaz Khan at score 6-1,6-3, while Ahmed Chuadhry outplayed Shahid Afridi at score 6-1,6-3. Second seed Abid defeated Talha Zubair at score 6-1,6-4. In the boys under 18 event Syed Nofil Kaleem, Talha Zubair, M. Muzammil, Hamza Bin Asif, Kashan ul Haq, Hasnain Manzoor, Arham
Sindh Open, Junior Swimming C’ship start today
Atiq and M. Mudasir moved into the quarterfinal by beating their respective opponents. The best matche of the day in this category was played between Muzamil and Aman Atiq. Muzamil won the final set in the tie break at score 7-5.The match lasted for two hours and 30 minutes. Boys quarterfinal will be played on Saturday. Results: Men’s singles Pre Quarterfinal round matches Aqeel Khan beat Hasnain Manzoor 6-1,61; Usman Rafiq beat Faizan Khurram 6-4,6-4; Heera Ashiq beat Barkat Ullah 6-0,6-1; Syed Zohair Raza beat Hamza Bin Asif 6- 7(4),6-3,6-0; Sanaullah beat Ejaz Khan 6-1,6-3; Shahzad Khan beat Irfan Ullah 61,6-2; Ahmed Ch. beat Shahid Afridi 6-1,6-3; Muhammad Abid beat Talha Zubair 6-1,6-4 Men’s Doubles Quarterfinal Wakeel Khan / Ejaz Khan beat Jibran ul Haq / Zohair Raza 6-4,6-2; Sanaullah/ Heera Ashiq beat Zain Nawab / Shahid Afridi 6-2,3-6,(105); Aqeel Khan / Shahzad Khan
beat Ahmed Ch. / Faizan Khurram 6-1,6-3; Muhammad Abid / Usman Rafiq beat Nofil Kaleem / Fahad Mehmood 6-3,7-5 Boys Under 18 Pre Quarterfinal round matches Syed Nofil Kaleem beat Asad Mehmood Khan 6-3,6-4; Talha Zubair beat Saqib Umer 6-0,6-3; Muhammad Muzamil beat Aman Atiq 1-6,6-3,7-6(5); Hamza Bin Asif beat Aqib Umer 6-1,6-1; Kashan ul Haq beat Mir Shahzaib 6-2,6-4; Hasnain Manzoor beat Yousaf Khan 6-2,7-5; Arham Atiq beat Shoaib 6-1,6-2; M. Mudasir beat Hasnain PSB 6-4,6-3 Boys Under 14 Pre Quarterfinal round matches Ilham Khan beat M Talha Khan 4-0,4-0; Aqib Umar beat Izhar Iftikhar 4-1,4-0; Mir Shahzaib beat Muneeb Sajid 4-0,4-0; Shehryar Khan beat Mustafa Qazi 4-0,4-1; Farhan ullah beat Kashan Umar 41,4-1; Saqib Umar beat Hamza Bin Rehan 4-0,4-0; Shoaib Khan beat Abdullah PSB 4-1,4-2; Yousaf Khan beat Hanzala 5-4,4-0 Ladies singles round robin matches . Iman Qureshi beat Alina Aftab 6-1,6-2; Rida Khalid beat Mahin Aftab 7-5,6-3.—APP
Afridi does not deserve a place in team: Ijaz Butt
AHORE —Former Pakistan Cricket Board issue there is no need to remove Misbah-ulKARACHI —Karachi Gram- L (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has hit out at Shahid Haq until the World Cup no matter what his mar School (KGS) will de-
fend their title as Sindh Open and Junior Swimming Championship explode into action at Karachi Gymkhana Pool on Saturday at 7:45 am. Secretary Sindh Swimming Association (SSA) Mohammed Ali Shishmahal said that 22 Schools/ Clubs and 275 swimmers are participating in the event. KGS will be leading the challenge with runners-up Karachi Club and hosts KG. Other participating institutions included Bay View Academy, Beaconhouse Jubilee Campus, Beacon House PECHS, DASKBZ College, DHA Academy, Habib Public School, Houz-E-Sabhah, Individual participants,Karachi American School, Karachi Boat Club, Karachi Club, Karachi Dolphin School, KN Academy Foundation, Links, Metropolitan Academy, The City Schools, Indus Academy, Beach Luxury Hotel, Team from Special Olympics. A galaxy of swimmers will be vying to break records as all 16 swimmers who recently participated in 19th National Boys Age group and won 46 gold medals in 47 events will be participating.—APP
Afzal appointed IC chirman of Pindi Region ISLAMABAD—The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed senior journalist Afzal Javed as new chairman of interim committee in Regional Cricket Association (RCA) Rawalpindi. He along with three other members of the committee - Nadeem Abbasi, Iftikhar Ahmad and Zaheer Malik will ensure smooth functioning of Rawalpindi Region till RCA elections.—APP
Afridi over his recent comments on the issue of captaincy, saying the star all-rounder does not even deserve to be in the playing eleven.Butt, who served as chairman from 2008 to 2011 and had a rocky relationship with Afridi when he was leading the T20 and ODI squads, said there was no need to replace Misbah-ulHaq as captain for the 2015 World Cup. “If you ask for my opinion I don’t think he [Afridi] should be in the side on his performances but this is something for the selectors to decide. If they feel he still has a role to play in the team so be it,” Press Trust of India quoted Butt as saying after his meeting with current chairman Shaharyar Khan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday. “Shaharyar is a noble and honest person and I told him today that on the captaincy
form,” Butt added. “Misbah has served Pakistan cricket well since the spot fixing scandal and led the side sensibly and intelligently and today if he is struggling for form he needs to be given full support and encouragement.” The controversial Butt said he was hopeful Pakistan would turn a corner before the World Cup after suffering a 3-0 ODI series whitewash at the hands of Australia. “Certainly I will not write them off and I think this series against Australia and New Zealand will do them a world of good,” he added. Meanwhile, there are reports circulating in the local media that the under-fire Afridi has decided to return to first-class cricket in a bid to regain his batting form. He will represent Habib Bank in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, according to sources.—APP
Azhar Mahmood to stage T20 camp at Dubai Sports City ISLAMABAD—The ICC Academy and former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood are coming together to stage a groundbreaking Twenty20specific cricket camp later this month. Mahmood will conduct the camp from October 24 to November 1 at the state-of-the-art facility at Dubai Sports City with the aim of honing players’ Twenty20 skills and thinking, website http:// www.emirates247.com reported. The camp, believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the world, will be open to juniors, adults and corporates, with daytime and evening sessions meaning that it will suit any timing. Azhar has played in Twenty20 competitions all over the world for more than a decade, and commenting on the announcement of the cricket camp at the ICC Academy, he said: “The advent of Twenty20 has brought with it new shots, many different variations with the ball and a whole new level of athleticism in the field. “But while there are plenty of coaching courses that teach the basics of the game, there are none that I know about that will coach these new techniques and approaches. “Our aim is to cover off this gap in learning with this new camp, the first of which
will take place later this month. It is an exciting idea, I am delighted to have joined forces with the ICC Academy to put the project together and I cannot wait for us to get started.” ICC Academy Manager Will Kitchen said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Azhar Mahmood for this innovative new camp and we are really excited about it. “With our state-of-theart facilities, including two fullsized ovals, the latest technology at our disposal and our outstanding coaches who will be working alongside Azhar during the camp, we are all set to provide a great experience to those people who take part.” “The ICC Academy prides itself on being a hub for elite cricket and a place where we look to take the game forward. Our use of soils from around the world to replicate pitch conditions from different countries is just one example of that, and by hosting this Twenty20-specific camp we believe we are once again at the forefront of an exciting new innovation,” he added. Azhar, who has played 21 Test matches and 143 One-Day Internationals for Pakistan and featured in three consecutive ICC Cricket World Cups, added that ahead of the start of the camp there would be a further major announcement.—APP
ISLAMABAD: Students posing for a photo after a mobilisation event ‘Race for Survival’ organized by Save the Children in collaboration with Friends Foundation, in connection to UN International Day for Eradication of Poverty.
LAHORE: All Pakistan Railway Boxing Championship underway at Islamia College, Civil Lines.
Zohaib appeals PCB to invest in Peshawar I SLAMABAD —Talented allrounder from Peshawar Zohaib Khan has appealed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan to create more cricket fields in Peshawar saying this would result in more tournaments thus bringing new talent to fore. Zohaib Khan, who has been active on the domestic circuit for the last 9 years, said this is the reason why we don’t have many tournaments being organized in this part of the country. “When we do have such tournaments, they seem to go on forever as we don’t have that many grounds to complete all of the matches in a short period of time,” he told Pakpassion.net. Zohaib said when 1992 World Cup winning captain Imran Khan organized games for the benefit of the IDPs which featured current and veteran players there was hardly any place to sit in the ground due to there being no space. “Can you imagine the intensity in the crowds, if a game with a higher profile was held in Peshawar,” he said. While describing the passion for cricket in Peshawar, Zohaib said people come in large numbers from different cities to watch and support teams even for a normal first-class game which lasts for 4 days. “Imagine what the crowds would be like if there was a Twenty-20 game,” he said.—APP
PCB rebuts Zaka’s charge against Shaharyar L AHORE —The Pakistan Cricket Board any of chairman Shaharyar Khan’s deci(PCB) took strong exception to a recent statement made by former cricket board chairman Zaka Ashraf that the unanimously elected PCB chairman Shaharyar Mohammad Khan is a puppet of ex-chairman Najam Sethi who is currently heading the Executive Committee of the Board in an honorary capacity. In a strong rebuttal to Zaka’s statement, which was published in this newspaper last Tuesday, the PCB said it refutes the malicious charge leveled by the ex-chairman. “The fact is that Mr Shaharyar Khan has served as chairman of the PCB in the past and is fully versed with its issues and has taken all decisions with the approval and support of the BoG as laid down in the constitution,” the PCB stated. Also read: Zaka urges PCB chairman not to play second fiddle to Sethi “The fact also is that Mr Sethi, who is not employed by the PCB, has been out of the country for nearly two months for personal reasons and has not inputted into
sions except briefly in connection with the approval of a couple of circular resolutions requested by the chairman, like all other members of the BoG. “It is unfortunate that the news report quotes Zaka Ashraf at length without even a single response on the record from any PCB official on any of the matters mentioned in the report.” It must be mentioned here that the new PCB Constitution expressively allows the chairman, with the approval of the BoG, to set up any number of committees to run the affairs of the Board, as in the past, pursuant to which the Executive Committee is one of three committees set up by the BoG in its last meeting. It is, of course, heartening to learn that Mr Zaka Ashraf favours “continuity” in the PCB for the sake of both stability and efficiency, and supports Mr Sethi’s decision, later approved by the current chairman, to retain Misbah-ul-Haq as captain of the national ODI team until after the 2015 World Cup.—APP
Rawalpindi Rams become U-19 champions MURIDKE—Rawalpindi Rams beat Karachi Zebras by 84 runs to lift the inter regions U19 ODI tournament at Country club ground, Muridke. Zebras won the toss and put the Rams in to bat. Zeeshan Malik with 106 and a quick fire 60 off 38 balls by Umair Masood took the Rams to a strong total of 283/6. Alam Khursheed 2-64 and Mohamad Shahrukh 2-47 were amongst the wickets for Zebras. In reply Zebras could only manage a disappointing 199 all out in 39.2 overs to lose the match by 84 runs conceding the U-19 title to Rawalpindi. The only resistance came from Danish Aziz who scored 60 off 85 balls with six fours. Mir Waiz 2-21, Aaqib Shah 223, Naqi Raza 2-35, Tauseeq Shah 2-47 bowled well for the Rams. The winners received Rs 0.2 million whereas the runners up bagged Rs. 0.1 million. Zeeshan Malik was declared player of the final for his superb knock. Noor Wali of Karachi Dolphins was declared the best batsmen of the tournament, M.Asghar of Karachi Dolphins the best bowler and Danial Hussain of Hyderabad Hawks got the best allrounder award.—APP
FF, Board advance in PDCA InterClub Cricket PESHAWAR—Frontier Foundation (FF) and Board club advanced to next round after securing victories against their respective rivals in the Peshawar District Inter-Club Cricket Championship being played at two different venues on Friday. In the first match Frontier Foundation defeated Peshawar Hunter, Peshawar Hunter while batting first setup 141 runs in which Naqeeb Ullah (33), Javed (32) were the prominent contributors. For Frontier Foundation Hamayun got four wickets, Fayyaz took two wickets. In reply, Frontier Foundation raced up to the winning target for the loss of one wicket with Abid Raza hammered a cracking 61 runs, Hamayun made elegant 58 runs. For Peshawar Hunter Naqeeb Ullah got one wicket. In the second match Board club while batting first scored 198 runs in which Adnan Khan smashed 64 runs including five boundaries, Farman scored 46 runs, Masar Khan (29) were the leading runs contributors. For Abaseen club Waqar and Ashoor Khan took one wicket each. In reply, Abaseen club failed to chase the target and were bundled out for 131 runs only with Ajmal (41) and Anwar (24) were the main scorers.—APP
LAHORE: A view of cricket match between Lahore College vs Punjab University during Women T20 Cricket Tournament at Punjab University Ground.
KPS, HBL Greens triumph in school cricket KARACHI—Karachi Public School (KPS) and HBL Schoolboys Greens registered big wins in lop-sided matches HBL Inter-School Cricket Tournament on Thursday. KPS hammered Rangers Public School by nine wickets at the KCCA Stadium, HBL Schoolboys Greens blasted City School North Nazimabad by a whooping margin of 272 runs at the Hussain Lawai Stadium Naya Nazimabad. Man of the match, Abdur Rafay of KPS took five for 26 in a fiery bowling to send Rangers Public School crashing to 152 all out in 37.5 overs despite Saad Ansari’s 66 off 89 balls. Medium-pacer Furqan Siddiqi (2-34) and leg-spinner Ali Tirmizi (2-39) also chipped in with useful wickets. The 106-run unbroken second wicket stand between opener Ali Tirmizi (40) and Sameer Shaikh (67) enabled KPS to reach the target of 153 in 30.5 overs with nine wickets in
hand. In the other game, HBL Schoolboys Greens posted the highest score of the tournament. They became the first team, after 26 matches, to cross the magical figure of 300. They finished with an outstanding score of 347 for six in the allotted 40 overs. Openers Syed Ameen (52) and Mohammad Usman (33) gave their a flying start. Number three Aurangzeb Ahmed played the most enterprising knock of the day as he smashed 10 boundaries in his 92 off 71 balls. He was adjudged Man of the Match. In reply City School North Nazimabad collapsed to 75 all out in 24.4 overs while chasing a huge target of 348 in 40 overs. The HBL Schoolboys Greens spin trio of Syed Ameen (3-5), Nadir Awan (2-8) and Zohaib Masood (2-13) bowled tightly and effectively which didn’t allow any batsman to settle down.—APP