Category: Sports

The final phase of the PFF Futsal National Cup 2023 will begin with a bang at the Legends Arena in Karachi. Running from April 23, the action-packed field will last till April 28. Twenty-four teams across Sindh from the Men's side are ready to showcase their skills in this thrilling event. Divided into six groups, each team will face off against their rivals in three exciting matches before progressing to the next stage. The grouping of the teams is as follows: Group A: Abdul FC, Ghareeb Shah Union FC, Baloch Youth FC and Mes FC Group B: Eaton FC, Galacticos, Tempo FC and Aladin FC Group C: Lethal FCK, Forza Academy, Powerpuff Boys FC and Karachi All Stars FC Group D: Karachi United FC, Karachi City FC, Ignite FC and Drive-In FC Group E: Forza FC, Pnec FC, Bismillah Sports FC and Diya Futsal Academy Group F: DLD FC, Baloch Muhammad FC, Falcon United and Young Azizabad FC In the women's category, seven teams will showcase their talent on the field, featuring Karachi United FC, Hazara Girls FC, Diya W omen's FC, Karachi All Stars, Karachi City FC, Baloch Muhammadan FC and Riaz Kamil Football Academy. Source: Pro Pakistani

Director General of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Shoaib Khoso has been sacked by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif while additional secretary Zahoor Ahmed has replaced him with immediate effect for three months. Additional responsibilities have been given to Zahoor Ahmed as interim Director General (DG) of PSB following the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry's decision to sack Shoaib Khoso on the directive of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. 'The Ministry of IPC with the approval of the Prime Minister has terminated Shoaib Khoso's contract after paying one-month salary' stated the government notification. According to DG Sports Board Shoaib Khoso, he was already in a tussle with the IPC ministry and he confronted them over the pension and medical facilities for PSB workers which resulted in him losing his post. 'The Ministry is about to deprive PSB workers of their right to medical facilities and pension. I confronted them and ultimately lost my job in the process' he said. According to reports, IPC Minist er Ahsan Iqbal wanted to appoint a DG Sports Board of his choice and the Prime Minister terminated the current DG PSB from the office on his advice. After every regime change, it is often the case that the IPC Minister changes the personnel in the position of DG PSB, previously Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari changed the DG during his tenure as the minister of IPC. The IPC Minister prior to that, Dr. Fahmida Mirza appointed Col. (retd.) Asif Zaman was DG Sports Board while she was in the office during the previous regime. It is yet to be confirmed by the IPC Minister who will be appointed as his next DG Sports Board following the termination of Shoaib Khoso. Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan's premier esports player, Arslan Ash, wins the Frag Fest Spring 2024 Tekken 8 LAN Tournament in Pomona, California, United States. Arslan defeated his opponent, Dr.theJAKEMAN, by 3-0 in the Final match. Earlier, Arslan played Tekken with the royal elite of Saudi Arabia, as well as coach aspiring Tekken players in the Arabic country. Arslan coached a group of young gamers for the first time in his career, adding a new skill to his portfolio. In the previous tournament, Tekken 7's latest major event, TWT (Tekken World Tour) 2023 concluded in the form of the Tekken World Tour 2023 Global Finals in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A, with Arslan keeping his title as the reigning champion once again. The top 3 spots were taken by Pakistan's Arslan Ash and South Korea's CBM and ULSAN. The Pakistani gaming hero played 5 characters throughout the tournament including his signature Kunimitsu, Zafina, Nina, Noctis, and Katarina. The grand finals came down to CMB vs Arslan Ash where Arslan brought out the une xpected Katarina against CBM's Noctis. The set ended 3-1 in Arslan's favour, but the rounds were close throughout the entire series of matches. Arslan won a grand prize of $50,000 as the victor while CBM and ULSAN took home $13,000 and $6,000, respectively. Last year, Arslan's victory in the EVO Championship made him the first in not just Tekken 7, but all of Tekken's history to take 4 EVO trophies, which is considered the biggest fighting game tournament throughout the world. Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan cricket team's interim head coach, Azhar Mehmood, answered a question from ProSports correspondent, Behram Qazi, in the press conference after the conclusion of the third T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand where he explained the team's decision to send a particular batter whenever a wicket fell. 'The top-three numbers are fixed but the others are adaptable,' as Azhar explained that white-ball captain, Babar Azam, and Saim Ayub will act as the primary openers of the T20I side, while Mohammad Rizwan will come in at number #3. The ex-cricketer explained, 'We need to go with match-ups after assessing the conditions,' that the national team will send out a batter who plays good against a particular bowler or type of bowling after analyzing the conditions of a particular ground. Azhar said that the team wanted wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, to come back in form after spending time on the crease which is why he was sent in at one-down. He played a knock of 22 runs at a strike-rate of 104 whic h slowed the innings during the middle-overs. Rizwan is out of the five-match series after suffering a hamstring injury while batting. Former all-rounder stated that the team will try to be more flexible in the upcoming matches after learning from the loss. All-rounder, Shadab Khan, gave a statement in a post-match interview where he confessed that he prefers to bat in the higher order. Source: Pro Pakistani

Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi criticized the Pakistan batters for their below-par strike rates against New Zealand in the second T20I match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The former Pakistan captain expressed his concerns on X, 'On an excellent batting surface we didn't make enough runs. The score should have been around 220. Well played Shadab, the rest of the batters should aim for better strike rates in these conditions and pitches. Good luck with the remaining games. Great inns by Chapman, a great lesson on how to finish a match!' Afridi, who was known for his immaculate power-hitting during his playing days urged the Pakistani batters to improve their range of shots to bring innovation in their game so that they can evolve as cricketers and improve their strike rates which is the demand of modern cricket. His statement demanded impactful performances from the batters rather than a bulk of runs that do not contribute to the team's victory. With the T20 World Cup just around the corner in Jun e, the Green Shirts will need to bring more innovation in terms of shot selection as a batting unit. New Zealand won the toss last night and put Pakistan in to bat, the Men in Green posted a total of 178 -4, a total that was not enough on a Rawalpindi surface where the par score is almost near 200. Wickets tumbling in intervals did not help Pakistan in setting up a formidable total considering Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's strike rates that were below 130 as both players took their time on the crease. Shadab Khan was a shining light during the innings as he played a scintillating knock of 41 runs off 20 balls with a blistering strike rate of 205 but Mark Chapman's world-class innings changed the game as he took the bowlers by storm in the second innings. The Kiwis chased the total with 10 balls to spare courtesy of Chapman's flamboyant innings that completely dismantled the opposition bowlers. His 87 runs innings off 42 balls earned him a man of the match award as the Kiwis tied the series at 1-1 foll owing their defeat in the second T20I by 7 wickets. Pakistan will play the last two matches of the five-match series against New Zealand at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on April 25 and April 27. Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairperson, Mohsin Naqvi, has ordered an inquiry into national team fast bowler, Ihsanullah, medical treatment by PCB's medical support team before he was sent to the United Kingdom. The tall fast bowler travelled to the UK for advanced medical care due to a long-standing elbow injury which has kept him out of the sport. Naqvi announced the formation of an independent medical board tasked with assessing the handling of Ihsanullah's medical situation by the PCB. The board comprises experts such as Dr. Javed Akram, Dr. Rana Dilawaiz, and Dr. Mumraiz Naqshband. The primary objective of the medical board is to scrutinize whether the medical care provided to the fast bowler was appropriate or not. Additionally, the board will propose a plan for his subsequent medical treatment. PCB has assured Ihsanullah that they will cover expenses related to the treatment, addressing previous concerns of funding. The injury dates back to April 2023 when Ihsanullah got injured during a series agains t New Zealand, which was initially termed minor by the PCB. It is suspected that the subsequent treatment, which involved gym and weight work, may have worsened the condition. PSL franchise, Multan Sultans, owner Ali Tareen criticized the PCB for inadequate support and revealed that MS had contributed to Ihsanullah's medical expenses. PCB's chief medical officer, Dr Sohail Saleem, refuted claims of mishandling but acknowledged a delay in diagnosis, which likely aggravated the injury. Source: Pro Pakistani