SPORTS NEWS

 Islamabad, 23 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan and Iran have qualified for the final of the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group III after winning their respective group ties at the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex in Islamabad on Friday. Hosts Pakistan defeated top seeds Maldives 2-1 in Group A, while Iran secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Qatar in Group B to set up Saturday’s title clash. Pakistan’s Ushna Suhail gave the hosts an early advantage with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Keyara Usama, before Mahin Aftab Qureshi sealed the tie by defeating Aishath Karin Saizan 6-1, 6-0. Maldives claimed a consolation point in the doubles, as Aishath Karin Saizan and Nayara Usama Ali beat Romaisa Malik and Hajra Sohail 6-4, 6-4. Iran dominated their encounter against...

 Johor Bahru, 23 October, 2026 (Nosheen): Pakistan qualified for the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament after holding Japan to a 2-2 draw in their crucial final league match in Malaysia. Goals from Hamza Fayyaz and Ghulam Mustafa helped the Green-shirts recover from a deficit at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium and secure the result needed to advance to the title clash. Both teams finished the league stage with seven points and a goal difference of plus eight, but Pakistan booked their place in the final by scoring 18 goals compared with Japan’s 16. Pakistan will face unbeaten hosts Malaysia in Saturday’s final, seeking to avenge their earlier 3-2 defeat in the tournament. The Green-shirts had previously defeated China 8-3 and Canada 6-2 before narrowly losing to Malaysia...

 Lahore, 23 October, 2026 (Ghufran): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to schedule the 12th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) while keeping the South Asian Games schedule in view to ensure coordination between the two major sporting events. According to sources, the decision was taken during a virtual meeting of the PSL Governing Council chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. PSL 12 is scheduled to begin on March 18, 2026, while the final has been proposed to take place in Lahore. Matches are also planned for Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi, although the final schedule has yet to be confirmed. Sources said the PSL support period is expected to begin on March 15, while the player auction for the 12th edition has been proposed for January 23 in ...

Rawalpindi, 22 October, 2026 (Nosheen): England batter Joe Root has made history in One-Day International (ODI) cricket, becoming the first player to score 8,000 runs for England in the format. Root achieved the milestone during England’s third match of the tri-nation ODI series against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Pakistan, scoring 69 runs in an impressive innings. The right-handed batter reached the landmark in his 197th ODI, having accumulated 8,000 runs in 186 innings at an average of 50.66, including 20 centuries and 49 half-centuries. During the innings, Root also surpassed former Australia captain Michael Clarke, who finished his ODI career with 7,981 runs. The achievement further strengthens Root’s position among England’s most prolific ODI batters. Before his landmar...

 California, 22 October, 2026 (Ghufran): Pakistan’s squash player Noor Zaman produced an impressive performance on Wednesday, defeating defending champion and world No. 4 Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad 3–1 to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA Gold Silicon Valley Open in California, United States. The 22-year-old Pakistani beat the second-seeded Egyptian 11–9, 11–7, 9–11, 11–6 in a 52-minute encounter. Following his victory at the men’s tournament, which offers a total prize purse of $143,500, Noor said he was mentally and physically prepared and believed it was time to start beating the world’s top players. Ranked among the world’s top 35 players, Noor had earlier advanced to the pre-quarter-finals by defeating American wildcard Bransten Ming 3–1. After losing the opening game 3–1...

کیلیفورنیا، 22 اکتوبر 2026 (غفران): پاکستان کے اسکواش کھلاڑی نور زمان نے بدھ کو شاندار کارکردگی کا مظاہرہ کرتے ہوئے دفاعی چیمپئن اور عالمی نمبر چار مصر کے کریم عبدالجواد کو 1-3 سے شکست دے کر امریکہ کے شہر کیلیفورنیا میں جاری پی ایس اے گولڈ سلیکون ویلی اوپن کے کوارٹر فائنل میں جگہ بنا لی۔ 22 سالہ پاکستانی کھلاڑی نے سیکنڈ سیڈ مصری حریف کو 52 منٹ پر مشتمل مقابلے میں 11-9، 11-7، 9-11 اور 11-6 سے شکست دی۔ ایک لاکھ 43 ہزار 500 ڈالر کی انعامی رقم والے مردوں کے اس ٹورنامنٹ میں کامیابی کے بعد نور زمان نے کہا کہ وہ ذہنی اور جسمانی طور پر مکمل تیار تھے اور ان کے خیال میں اب وقت آ گیا ہے کہ وہ دنیا کے صفِ اول کے کھلاڑیوں کو شکست دیں۔ عالمی درجہ بندی میں ٹاپ 35 کھلاڑیوں میں شامل نور زمان نے اس سے قبل امریکی وائلڈ کارڈ کھلاڑی برینسٹن منگ کو 1-3 سے ہرا کر پری کوارٹر فائنل میں جگہ بنائی تھی۔ ابتدائی گیم 3...

 Karachi, 22 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan WAPDA delivered a dominant performance on the opening day of the Lok Sahaaita 54th National Athletics Championships 2026, securing six of the seven gold medals on offer. National record-holder Shajar Abbas claimed the men’s 100-metre title in 10.20 seconds, earning recognition as Pakistan’s fastest man. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Attaullah finished second, while HEC’s Haseeb secured the bronze medal. In the women’s 100 metres, WAPDA’s Faiqa Riaz won gold in 11.56 seconds to claim the title of Pakistan’s fastest woman. HEC’s Hawla took silver, while Sindh’s Iqra Riaz finished third. Sindh’s Mah Noor Fatima won the first gold medal of the championship in the women’s 5,000-metre race walk, completing the event in 32 minutes and 32.40 secon...

Nagoya, 22 October, 2026 (Nosheen): Pakistan’s para-athlete Haider Ali won the silver medal in the men’s F37 discus throw event at the ongoing Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday, adding another achievement to his distinguished international career. The 41-year-old athlete secured second place with a best throw of 57.20 metres, finishing just 19 centimetres behind Uzbekistan’s Kudratillo Khon Kholmatov, who claimed the gold medal with a throw of 57.39 metres and set a new Asian Para Games record. India’s Hani won the bronze medal with a throw of 57.04 metres in a closely contested competition. Hailing from Gujranwala, Haider Ali has established himself as one of Pakistan’s prominent para-athletes through his consistent performances at major international events. He won the gold ...

Islamabad, 21 October, 2026(Ghufran): Pakistan have climbed to fourth place in the ICC Men’s One-Day International (ODI) team rankings, overtaking Australia after securing consecutive victories against Sri Lanka and England in the ongoing tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistan have reached fourth position with 103 rating points, while South Africa occupy third place with 104 points. India remain at the top of the rankings with 115 points, followed by New Zealand in second place with 109 points. Pakistan’s latest improvement follows an emphatic 87-run victory over England on Tuesday, extending their winning streak in the tournament. All-rounder Arafat Minhas delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 59 runs off 58 balls before claiming career-best bowling figures of six wick...