6 December 2018

Thursday, December 6, 2018
Sportlight
7
New Zealand face uphill battle
after Azhar, Shafiq hit hundreds
ABU DHABI; Azhar
Ali ended his century
drought to put Pakistan
close behind New
Zealand’s first-innings
total in the third and final
Test in Abu Dhabi on
Wednesday.
The 33-year-old was
unbeaten on 111 for his
15th hundred and first
since May last year, guiding
Pakistan to 224-3 at
lunch on the third day, just
50 behind New Zealand’s
total of 274.
At the break, Asad
Shafiq was unbeaten on 55,
helping Azhar add 139 for
an unbroken fourth wicket
stand as Pakistan seek a big
lead to force a seriesclinching
win.
The three-match series
is tied at 1-1.
MOSCOW: The IAAF
upheld a ban against
Russia's athletics federation
over doping in the country,
pending full access to doping
data stored in Moscow
and financial compensation.
Russia's athletics federation
(RUSAF) has been suspended
since 2015 over a
report commissioned by the
World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) that found evidence
of widespread, statesponsored
doping in the
sport. The IAAF, the sport's
governing body, said
RUSAF still needed to meet
two criteria -- access to
samples of Russian athletes
in a Moscow lab and full
financial compensation for
investigation and legal costs
-- before the ban is lifted.
Russia's reinstatement
has been rejected on numerous
occasions by the IAAF
Azhar edged medium
pacer Colin de
Grandhomme through the
over the past three years
and should it fail to meet
conditions in the coming
months, it could risk missing
out again on sen ding a
team to next September's
world athletics championships
in Doha, Qatar.
The European indoor
championships are even
earlier, in Glasgow in
March, and take place
before the next IAAF
Council meeting has a
chance to meet to discuss
further developments later
that month.
Since 2015, some individual
Russian athletes
have been allowed to compete
internationally as neutrals
provided they met certain
criteria that showed
they had operated in a dopefree
environment.
"If the Russians can and
will release the (drugs)
slips for his ninth boundary
to complete his first century
after 18 barren innings.
samples is up to them. I
hope they will deliver the
data by the end of this year,"
said Rune Andersen, head
of the IAAF's task force on
Russia, sitting next to IAAF
President Sebastian Coe.
"We have received no
assurances that it will be
delivered to us directly. The
assurances have been given
to WADA and WADA has
set a deadline of December
31. We will have to rely on
receiving the data from
WADA."
The IAAF said the athletics
integrity unit must
confirm it has been given
the data.
"All of the data and
access to the samples that it
needs to determine which of
the Russian athletes...have a
case to answer for breach of
the IAAF anti-doping
rules," the IAAF said in a
Azhar, whose last hundred
was against the West
Indies in Dominica in May
Russian athletics federation remains banned, IAAF says
District Central lifts Mayor
Cup hockey league title
Sports Reporter
KARACHI: District
Central clinched the title of
1st Mayor Karachi Gold Cup
Inter-District Hockey
League 2018 after defeating
District West by 4-1 at the
Karachi Hockey Association
(KHA) Olympian Hanif
Khan-Junaid Ali Shah
Stadium.
According to details,
Arbaz scored a goal in 6th
minutes in 1st quarter,
District West's Zohaib scored
an equalizer in 17th minutes
of the game.Abbas Haider of
Central scored a goal in
penalty corner in 45th minutes,
Hammad Ayaz scored a
goal in 54th minutes, while
Shahzaib scored for victors
in last quarter of the game.
A large crowd converged
at the stadium to encourage
both the finalist teams.
Provincial Minister
Shahla Raza, Olympians
Hanif Khan, , Ahmed Alam,
Haseem Khan, Patron KHA
Women Wing, Asma Ali
Shah, Secretary KHA
Women Wing, Beenish Ali,
Chairman KHA, Gulfaraz
Ahmed Khan, SVP Dr S A
Majod ,Secretary KHA,
Syed Haider Hussain,
Council Member, Zahid
Mehmood, are also present
at the occasion.
Mayor Karachi, Waseem
Akhter graced the occasion
as a Chief Guest.
Parents pay surprise visit at
Mithali's birthday party
Sports Reporter
KARACHI: On a day
when T-20 captain
Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar
and vice-captain Smriti
Mandhana endorsed
Ramesh Powar (as India
coach), with whom Mithali
Raj can not have eye-to-eye,
her parents gave a surprise
visit at their daughter's birthday
party in Vijayawada.
"Mithali is playing in
Vijayawada and without
informing her, we made a
surprise visit from here
(Hyderabad)", Mithali's
father, Dorai Raj, speaking
exclusively, said.
Mithali, who turned 36
on Monday, cut cake with
her friends and fans. The
party was also attended by
few Andhra Pradesh Cricket
Association officials.
"We rarely get opportunity
to celebrate Mithali's
birthday (on December 3),
as on most occasions she is
out of the country / town
and playing somewhere"
"She and her mother
(Leela Raj) are very upset
with the recent controversies
and she (Mithali) was
very happy to see us at the
birthday party. We wanted
to support her in this difficult
time".
"There were many supporters
gathered and we
hardly interact with
Mithali".
Mithali's brother,
Mithun, however could not
remain present at her party.
"I am in Geneva to
attend the UN conference
and well, everyone is disappointed
with the happenings",
he said.
In the meantime, there
seems to be a division
among team members.
Few in Mithali's group
are wondering how the e
mails of captain and vice
captain are written and
leaked on the same day...
"Somebody in the BCCI
is only responsible for the
mess. There is no professionalism.
It is clear that
the language of the letter
written by Harman Preet is
not hers.
statement.
"The task force stands
ready to meet as soon as
these conditions have been
met in order to make a recommendation
to Council
for the reinstatement of
RUSAF."
But the IAAF said it had
eased its demand on Russia
accepting the WADA-commissioned
report by
Richard McLaren.
"It is not an easy one, as
we would have wanted
Russia to clearly acknowledge
the McLaren report,"
Andersen said.
"But it is difficult not to
do that when WADA has
done it and we will have to
move on and deal with
what we think is most
important, to get access to
the data and the samples.
That is what counts when it
comes to the athletes."
Rizwan says doesn’t
blame Sarfraz for
non-inclusion in team
KARACHI: Mohammad
Rizwan, wicketkeeper-batsman
of Pakistan cricket
team, has said that he doesn’t
blame Sarfaraz Ahmed for
his non-inclusion in the
team.
“I don’t think like that,”
he said, when asked if he
finds himself unlucky that
the national team is currently
led by a wicketkeeper and
that blocks his way to the
national squad.
“I have played enough
ODIs with Sarfaraz as batsman
and that can happen in
future too as there are teams
travelling with two wicketkeepers,”
he said. “But, I
don’t think I’m not playing
for Pak because of Sarfraz. I
will play whenever it’s written
for me,” he added.
The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman
from
Peshawar expressed his
delight on current form and
said that he’s in the best form
of his career.
Sports Reporter
KARACHI: Bismillah
Sports overcame Red Army
recording a 1-0 victory in
the summit clash of Leisure
Leagues Inter-Club
Championship here at 16-
Star Ground.
Ubaid Soomro scored
the solitary goal of the
match in the 12th minute,
which was enough to take
Bismillah Sports to victory
stand, where 24 teams participated.
According to Leisure
Leagues Area Manager
Riaz Ahmed, the tournament
was organized in collaboration
with World
Group, where 24 teams featured.
The 24 teams were
divided into eight groups,
having three teams in each
group. The top team from
each group qualified for
2017, took 210 balls to
reach the three-figure
mark.
He has so far stuck 10
boundaries while Shafiq
has seven in his 22nd halfcentury.
New Zealand skipper
Kane Williamson took the
second new ball in the 81st
over with Pakistan comfortably
placed at 213-3,
but nothing worked for the
bowlers on a flat Sheikh
Zayed Stadium pitch.
Resuming at 139-3,
Azhar hit Trent Boult for a
boundary off the first ball
of the day and then
smacked spinner Ajaz
Patel for another to enter
the eighties. Boult has figures
of 2-54 while fellow
paceman Tim Southee has
taken 1-39.
Manchester
City beat
Chatford 2-1
LONDON: Manchester
City's nervous finish in an
otherwise comfortable win
at Watford showed "you
can never relax in the
Premier League", according
to manager Pep
Guardiola.
The reigning champions
had controlled Tuesday's
game and led through goals
from Leroy Sane and Riyad
Mahrez but Abdoulaye
Doucoure scrambled in for
Watford in the 85th minute
to give the hosts hope of an
unlikely comeback.
Watford sent goalkeeper
Ben Foster forward for setpieces
in a frantic finish,
with Guardiola introducing
defensive reinforcements to
deal with the pressure, but
the visitors held on for their
seventh successive league
win.
The win saw City reestablish
their five-point
lead at the top of the table,
which could be cut to two
when Liverpool play
Burnley. "We were much
the better side - we
deserved to win but you
have to kill," Guardiola
said.
"It is never over at 2-0,
you need the third goal. "In
the last few minutes they
had chances. For five minutes
they were better than
us. "You can never relax in
the Premier League, that's
why it is nice."
The trip to Vicarage
Road was City's second of
13 matches in 44 days and
Guardiola once again rotated
his squad, as he did in
the weekend win over
Bournemouth.
Sergio Aguero remained
sidelined with injury, top
scorer Raheem Sterling was
rested and an entirely different
back four was
brought in, including captain
Vincent Kompany and
England defenders Kyle
Walker and John Stones.
quarterfinals. The matches
consisted of 20-minute
halves.
Earlier in semifinals,
Bismillah Sports defeated
Hazara United on penalty
kicks while Red Army overpowered
Phoenix FC 2-0 to
Abu Rehan CC win in
Fazal Mahmood National
Club Cricket Tournament
Sports Reporter
KARACHI: Abu
Rehan Cricket Club Zone
One beat Khudad
Gymkhana by 5 runs in
2nd PCB Fazal Mahmood
National Club Cricket
Tournament .
At Al Nadil Al Burhani
Ground Abu Rehan CC
batted first and put on
board 215-10 in 34.3
Overs.Akhter Munir was
the top scorer for the side
with 52 runs while
Muhammad Fahim scored
42 runs,Faraz Ahmed 30
and Muhammad Hammad
22.Muhammad Mahmood
took 3 for 35 while Syed
Mehdi and Murtaza Hasan
got two wickets each.
In reply Khudada
Gymkhana was bundled
out for 210 -10 in 44.3
Overs.Saad Ahmed
Scored 47 runs,
Muhammad Sameer 36
and Taimoor Ali
32.Akhter Munir captured
3 wickets for 49
runs while Muhammad
Asghar got 2 for 39 and
Muhammad Rizwan 1
for 27.
Dr M. Arif Hafeez
Sports Reporter
KARACHI: WAPDA,
the long standing national
champions, retained the
title at the 30th National
Women Hockey
Championships beating
Punjab Colours 4-0 in the
final at the National
Hockey Stadium, Lahore.
Comprising almost
entirely of internationals,
WAPDA were the
favourites having won all
their matches with ease
including a 5-0 victory
over Punjab Colours in the
pool game.
However, it was the
Punjab side which made
the early inroads and had a
couple of chances in the
early minutes. The defending
champions settled
penalty corners
down and from their first
penalty corner, Pakistan's
ace PC expert Ishrat Abbas
sounded the board with her
trademark angular flat hit.
HYDERABAD: Alhumdulillah Team Pakistan wins Silver
in Doubles and GOLD in Singles in the unified tennis invitational
Santo Domingo America ! What a huge moment
for Pakistan! #Asim Ahmed Shaikh, Student of
GVTCPWD's, Karachi.
WAPDA retains National Women Hockey
Title; easy 4-0 win over Punjab Colours
qualify for the final.
President District
Football Association (DFA)
Central Syed Usman Shah
was the chief guest during
the closing ceremony.
Usman Shah praised
Chairman World Group
Later in the first quarter
both the sides wasted a PC
each.
The second quarter saw
almost complete domination
of WAPDA and the
ball mostly remained in the
opponents' half. No less
than six chances were
squandered by them.
Punjab net minder Tahira,
later declared tournament's
best goalkeeper, shone
under the bar. Half Time:
1-0 Just after the change of
the sides, the goal which
was coming for a long time
finally arrived. Sana
Allahditta putting it in
from a very close range.
After conceding the second
goal, Punjab enjoyed a
good spell earning two
but the
proper execution was missing.
In the dying minutes of
the third quarter, little Sana
Allahditta scored twice to
complete her hat trick.
First she pounced upon
a PC rebound and soon
after capped a move from
right.
Last quarter was the
most evenly contested.
Both the sides had chances,
open play and PCs.
But it ended 4-0 for
WAPDA.
It was a creditable performance
from the Punjab
Colours; the only provincial
side to qualify for the
semis. Almost all their
player came from the
Rukhsana Arshad Women
Hockey Academy. Earlier,
the playoff for the third
position saw an exciting
game between Army and
HEC. Army won 3-2
HEC twice came from
behind to equalise but
couldn't neutralise army's
third goal. Chief guest Air
Vice Marshal Irfan Ahmed,
Officer Commanding
Central Air Command, put
gold medals around the
winning team's necks.
DG Sports Board
Punjab, Nadeem Sarwar
presented silver medals to
Punjab Colours.
Secretary PHF, Shahbaz
Ahmad gave bronze
medals to Army.
Player of Tournament:
Hammra Latif (WAPDA)
Goal Keeper of
Tournament: Tahira Islam
(Punjab) WAPDA received
a cash prize of Rs 50,000
from the sponsors while
Punjab Colours got richer
by Rs 25,000.
DG Sports Board
Punjab gave Rs 50,000 to
the Punjab side and Rs
25,000 to WAPDA Chief
guest AVM Irfan Ahmed
announced Rs 50,000 for
the winners and Rs 25,000
each for the runners up and
the third placed army.
Bismillah Sports clinches Leisure Leagues Inter-Club title
Mehmood Trunkwala for
providing opportunities to
youngsters to play football.
He added that organizing
of several such tournaments
at different level
throughout the country
shows Trunkwala’s commitment
towards the game
of football, which has been
helping Pakistan’s youth by
inspiring them to remain
involved in healthy activities,
which subsequently
keep them away from antisocial
behavior.
Usman Shah also
assured his full support to
Leisure Leagues for its
endeavors to promote the
game of football in the
country.
At the end, he distributed
trophies and prize
money. The winning team
received cash prize of
Rs7000, while the runnerup
side received Rs3000.
Meanwhile, Leisure
Leagues is also organizing
inter-club championships
at five different venues of
the city with 32 teams featuring
on knockout basis at
each venue.