KHA astroturf's foundation stone laid

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Chief Secretary, Mohammad Siddiq Memon, along with the Chancellor of the Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET), Karachi, Jawaid Anwar, unveiled the foundation stone of the sports complex project of the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA), located just opposite the SSUET campus. 

The complex will have a hockey ground with astroturf besides a swimming pool and a multi-purpose hall as suggested by Chancellor Jawaid Anwar and approved by the Chief Secretary. 

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, CS Siddiq Memon observed that upon the directive of the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the allocation for sports promotion in Sindh has been increased in the budget from Rs one to two billion.

He pointed out that the Sindh Government, besides laying astroturfs, was carrying out construction of sports complexes throughout the province and at present 38 sports-related schemes were under implementation with KHA’s Sports Complex opposite SSUET a part of the same. 

He informed that the schemes have been completed in Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas where astroturfs was laid. On the special directive of the Chief Minister 54 more projects were being initiated and funds allocated thereof in the budget 2016, he informed adding that objective was to make all out efforts to provide sports facilities to the youth of Sindh. 

He declared that Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) will be given a grant of Rs 30 lacs this year. Addressing the ceremony, the SSUET Chancellor, Jawaid Anwar thanked the Chief Secretary with whose efforts development of the hockey ground had started and it was a welcome initiative that an astroturf will be laid there.

He underlined the necessity of having a swimming pool and a multi-purpose hall in this under construction complex and pointed out that there are a large number of universities, colleges and schools around this ground whose students would be able to benefit from the facilities of this project. 

He congratulated the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and particularly the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) for making outstanding efforts for the promotion of hockey. 

He announced that after the astroturf was laid there, the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology will organize an inaugural match between the SSUET’s hockey players, Olympians and Internationals.

He declared that the university will first hold an All Karachi Hockey Tournament on this ground and will provide a good number of students to benefit from this ground. 

He extended all out cooperation of the university towards the promotion of hockey. 

Earlier the General Secretary, KHA, Farooq Khan, thanked the Chief Secretary Siddiq Memon, Sports Secretary, Mohammed Rashid, and Chief Engineer, Aslam Maher, for their contribution in the development of sports complex and laying of astroturf which would provide an opportunity for the youngsters to play hockey . 

The Senior Vice-President, KHA, Aijazuddin, described the project of sports complex and astroturf as a gift from Sindh Government and the youth should take maximum advantage of the same so that new talent could emerge. 

The ceremony was largely attended, among others, by, Anwar Ali, Advisor to Vice-Chancellor, Registrar Syed Sarfraz Ali, besides Olympians Saleem Sherwani, Qamar Ibrahim, Sameer Hussain and Internationals Jan Mohammed, Mohammed Ali and Mubbashir Mkhtar who is also the Director Sports of the SSUET.

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Nadeem Omar inaugurates KG Festival, stresses on fair play

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Nadeem Omar, the Managing Director of Omar Associates and the owner of Quetta Gladiators, has stressed on fair play and positive attitude as he formally inaugurated the 31st edition of the Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Cricket Tournament 2016 for the Omar Associates Trophy on June 4.

With Test wicketkeeper-batsman Saleem Yousuf standing behind him, he dead-batted a friendly half-volley in the corporate settings of the banquet hall which, on a cricket ground, he would have deposited it somewhere into the stands! 

In his brief remarks on the occasion, Nadeem Omar, whose company is sponsoring the event for the fifth year running, hoped that other corporations and institutions will also come forward for patronizing sports. 

“Sadly the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year (2016-17), presented just the other day, doesn’t have adequate allocation for sports. Now the onus is on the private sector to promote sports in the right manner,” he reckoned. 

“The Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival is the oldest tournament in which the talented cricketers from all over the country get an opportunity to showcase their talents. We are happy to be associated with it,” he added. 

Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, the promoters of Omar Cricket Club and Omar Colts, have also been managing veterans and women’s teams besides having its regular team which plays national-level tournaments.

Meanwhile the prize money of the Omar Associates Trophy 2016, due to start at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground on the first day of Ramazan, has been enhanced. 

The decision in this regard was taken by the President of the Karachi Gymkhana, Fawad Salim Malik, during the media briefing as he announced that the winners will now be getting Rs seven lacs instead of Rupees six lacs and the runners-up will be collecting Rs three lacs fifty thousand instead of Rupees three lacs. 

The total prize money of the four-week event, whose final will be played on 28th of Ramazan, will be Rupees 13 lacs and eighty thousand, which is the highest in the 30-year-old history of the tournament. 

In his welcome address, Fawad Malik described the Karachi Gymkhana as the premier sports and social club east of the Suez Canal, which took pride in its legacy and heritage. He made a particular mention of its cricket ground, having hosted a few of Pakistan’s famous matches. 

Altaf Hussain Agha, a former President of the Karachi Gymkhana and also the Director of the Tournament Committee, spoke about the plans to install floodlights at their cricket ground later this year. 

Riazuddin, an international umpire of repute and member of the technical committee, disclosed that all the T20 rules and regulations of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including Duckworth-Lewis method for shortened matches, will be applied during the tournament. 

As in the past, tournament will be contested by a total of 16 teams, having been divided equally in four groups for the preliminary rounds. This includes five new teams, Anees Hussain Cricket Club, Dawood Sports, Sojhula Cricket Club (Dera Ghazi Khan), Atiq Estate and Shahmil Associates, who will be making their debut in the competition. 

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout phase, starting with quarter-finals. For the preliminary rounds, Omar CC has been drawn in the Group A alongwith Medicam, Mohammad Hussain CC and K-Electric while the Group B comprises of Karachi Gymkhana Whites, Sojhula CC, Atiq Estate and Eaton CC. 

The Group C contains Omar Colts, Heroes CC, Shahmil Associates and Anis Hussain CC while the Group D will be featuring Karachi Gymkhana Blues, Dubai Islamic Bank, Dawood Sports and Tapal CC.

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Sound system breakdown mars Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup media briefing

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The media briefing of the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup Cricket Tournament 2016, offering a record prize money of Rupees two million, was marred by the persistent sound system breakdown here at the Karachi Gymkhana Banquet Hall on Tuesday.

It caused considerable embarrassment to the dignitaries, who had to endure problems in conveying their message across to the media corps present on the occasion. 

The details about the four-week event, which will be getting underway at the Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium on June 28, were unfolded by Tournament Director, Riazuddin, who is also an international umpire. 

The prize money of the tournament has been enhanced to Rupees two million with the winners to collect a rich purse of Rupees one million and the runners-up to receive Rs half a million. 

Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, in his presidential address, shared the vision of his conglomerate which aims to contribute its bit in the promotion of sports in general and cricket in particular in the city of Karachi. 

“The Lawai Cricket Stadium in Naya Nazimabad, having floodlights besides many other facilities, remains occupied throughout the year. We also have developed a football stadium which will be inaugurated soon. We will be developing a hockey stadium as well soon. Additionally an indoor sports complex is also being built right next to the cricket ground,” he announced. 

“Our objective is to make Sports City at Naya Nazimabad, whose facilities could be utilized by the inhabitants of all over the metropolis. It will help immensely in sports promotion,” Arif Habib declared. 

Speaking on the occasion, Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates, expressed his delight at the development of the outstanding facilities for cricket matches at the Lawai Stadium. 

“Our team has been playing the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup since its inception and we are thrilled by the atmosphere at the ground. The cricketers have thoroughly enjoyed performing under floodlights in the most peaceful of environment,” he observed. 

“Judging by the success of its previous editions, I have no doubt in my mind that it has become the premier tournament of the city to be organized during the holy month of Ramazan,” Nadeem Omar declared. 

Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, President, Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), also appreciated the endeavours of the Arif Habib Group in the development of cricket facilities which will be helpful in raising the standard of the game. 

He commended the organizers of the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup for holding the tournament professionally since its inception three years ago and hoped that the ground will be playing host to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in not too distant future. 

Besides former Test cricketers, Jalaluddin, Shoaib Mohammad, Saleem Yousuf, Ejaz Faqih and Nadeem Khan, the ceremony was also attended by Samad Habib, CEO, Naya Nazimabad, Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), and Mohammad Iqbal, Director Sports, Naya Nazimabad. 

Meanwhile the 16 participating teams in the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup Cricket Tournament 2016 have been divided equally in four groups. National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has been drawn in the Group A which also contains Dollar East, Heroes Cricket Club and Atiq Estate while the quartet of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Eaton Cricket Club and Dawood Sports constitute the Group B. 

Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC), Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SSGPL), Alamgir Gymkhana and Medicam have been placed in the Group C while the Group D features United Bank Limited (UBL), Omar Associates, K-Electric and Qasmi Cricket Club.

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Nadeem Omar honours ICC President

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Nadeem Omar, an acclaimed sports patron, has firmly set the tradition of honouring the living legends and the evening dedicated to the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Zaheer Abbas, also known as the Asian Bradman, was an extension of it. 

The Crystal Ball Room of Hotel Marriott in Karachi was the venue of the reception hosted in the honour of the ICC President by Omar Associates on May 22 and it turned out be yet another memorable gathering of cricket fraternity. 

Jamshed Omar, Founder and Chairman of Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, presented a shield to Zaheer Abbas, who also received a gold medal from Nadeem Omar, the firm’s Managing Director. 

Speaking on the occasion, Zaheer Abbas complimented the hosts for having set the tradition of national heroes. 

“This is an extraordinary service to the nation. Heroes are meant to be honoured and respected. It reflects that we are a vibrant and cultured nation. We need more people like Nadeem Omar in Pakistan to keep doing this more often,” the Asian Bradman declared. 

“Nadeem Omar, besides being a great patron of sports, is also a very lively person with whom I have fond memories on many tours. He is an enterprising person, having been gifted with a fabulous mind and a generous heart. He deserves to be complimented for his outstanding efforts,” Zaheer Abbas complimented. 

He regretted the decline in the standard of the game in Pakistan in the recent past but expressed the hope that things will get better as soon as foreign teams start visiting Pakistan in not too distant future. 

 “It’s indeed painful for me to note that our batsmen are not being able to perform consistently at the highest level for quite a long time now. The batting legends have retired long time ago. It really hurts at times because we have had a formidable batting line-up in our era,” he felt. 

The former Pakistan captain, who scored prolifically in Tests as well as the One-day Internationals, said he’s satisfied with his own performance as the ICC President during one-year tenure. 

Nadeem Omar, in his welcome speech, described Zaheer Abbas as a jewel in crown, who has made the country proud with his accomplishments as a cricketer as well as an administrator. 

“He was not only hero from the time I started following cricket but he was idolized by millions of people from all over the world. His batting remained poetry in motion and we all loved his stylish stroke-play,” 

Nadeem Omar reflected. 

Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), Salahuddin Ahmed, former chief selector, Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, President, Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, Qamar Ahmed, veteran journalist, Mansoor Masood Khan, Member Governing Board, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Moin Khan, former Pakistan captain, were the other speakers on the occasion. 

The ceremony was attended by a large number of eminent cricketers, including Jalaluddin, Saleem Yousuf, Sikander Bakht, Nadeem Khan, Ghulam Ali, Mahmood Hamid and Tanvir Ahmed.

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SSUET excels in Inter-Varsities sports

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) outfits have excelled in badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, football, and hockey and table tennis events in the Inter-Varsities competitions during the past 12 months.

According to a report released by SSUET Sports Department, the university won a couple of cricket tournaments and lost in the quarterfinals of the HEC Inter-Varsities Cricket Championship held in Peshawar. 

They won the IBA Cricket League Tournament for the third time in row and won the UNICEF World Water Day Football Tournament. 

The SSUET displayed good potential by grabbing one silver and three bronze medals in the Higher Education Commission Inter-Varsities Boxing Championship held in Islamabad. Zahid Abbas won the silver medal while Shariq Ali Chandio, Talah Mahmood Siddiqui and Syed Ali claimed the bronze medals. 

The winners were honored by the SSUET Chancellor, Jawaid Anwar, for coming up with outstanding performances in fist-fighting. 

The SSUET also performed well in the martial arts by grabbing two bronze medals in the HEC Inter-Varsities Judo Championship. 

The Sir Syed University won the Marine Academy Cricket Tournament thanks to brilliant performance by wicketkeeper Waqas Mahboob. 

The SSUET cricket team also won the IBA Inter University Cricket Tournament last month by outclassing NUST in the final by 75 runs with captain Waqas Mahboob having produced another outstanding performance. 

The Sir Syed University team finished runners-up in the Inter-Varsities contest held the under the auspices of Marine Academy. 

 “We are giving a lot of importance to physical activities at the national, provincial and Karachi level and our players have produced creditable performances,” Sports Director and former hockey international, Mubashir Mukhtar, remarked. He credited the SSUET management for fully facilitating and supporting the athletes to perform well in various events and bring honor for the university. As part of preparations of the good university team, several inter departmental competition were conducted among the male and female students of the university.

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SSUET claim bronze medals in judo

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi, claimed a couple of bronze medals in the HEC Judo Championship for Men 2015-16 held at the University of Karachi. 

According to the details made available by the SSUET Managir, Tariq Khan, Sufyan Ahmed and Usama Khan won bronze medals in the 66 kg and the open weight categories respectively. 

The SSUET, having Nasir Khan as coach, participated in 50, 55, 60, 66, 90 kg weight and open categories.

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SSUET to form women sports outfits

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi, has decided to form teams of its women students in various sports.

This follows a directive from the SSUET Chancellor, Jawaid Anwar, to the university’s sports department asserting that side by side men’s teams, women teams in various sports should also be formed. He emphasized that healthy sports activities bring positive impact in academics. 

It may be mentioned here that Chancellor Jawaid Anwar has resolved to take every step for up gradation of this university to bring it into the fold of country’s top universities. 

Acting on the Chancellor’s directive, the SSUET Director Sports, Mubbashir Mukhar, has started formation of teams of the university’s women students and in the first instance badminton team has been setup comprising of Uzma Baig, Mahnoor, Yashnaa, Bushra and Tressa with Sabin Fatima as team manager and Javed Iqbal as coach. 

The team in its first test participated in the Inter-University Women Badminton Tournament organized by the PAF University. Although the team lost to Iqra University in 0-3 straight sets, the performance of players remained satisfactory. 

Mubbashir Mukhtar observed that the SSUET enjoyed a unique position in various sports besides the curricular activities. 

He said that the university has its teams in 12 different sports including cricket, football, hockey and boxing and exhibited outstanding performance by winning matches during the last couple of years. 

He disclosed that the university will have teams of its women students in table tennis, basketball, netball, throwball besides cricket and hockey and will participate in the university’s inter-departmental sports.

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Amar Cables annex 17th PVCA National Seniors Cup

Pakistan News & Features Services

Jamshed Salman’s brilliant knock of 73 powered Lahore Amar Cables to 49-run victory over Karachi Gold Bridge Media in the final of the 17th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2015 at the Hussain Lawai Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium, Karachi, on January 10.

Lahore Amar Cables, having been crowned as the Northern region champions, became the new Senior Cup champions by whipping Karachi Gold Bridge Media, the Southern region champions, in the national final. 

Nadeem Omar, owner of the Quetta Gladiators, was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony with Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, being the guest of honour while the function was presided over by Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA). 

The winning team, Lahore Amar Cables, collected a purse of Rs 150,000 while the runners-up, Karachi Gold Bridge Media, received a reward of Rs 75,000. 

Among the individual awards, Jamshed Ali earned Rs 10,000 for being declared the Man of the Tournament while Rs 7,500 each was given to Mansoob Elhai (best batsman), Zafar Ali (best bowler) and Adnan Baig (best wicketkeeper). Jamshed Salman got Rs 5,000 for being the Man of the Match in the final. 

A record number of 109 teams from all over the country entered the annual tournament, organized by the PVCA and sponsored by IMI Omar (Pvt) Ltd and Arif Habib Group. 

Put into bat in the National final, Lahore Amar Cables was indebted to opener Jamshed Sultan who held the innings total with a brilliant 73 off 59 balls with the help of 10 boundaries. He dominated the 78-run second wicket stand with Bilal Khilji who made 27 off 43 balls. 

Left-arm spinner Rizwan Qureshi’s five-wicket haul pulled it back for Karachi Gold Bridge Media who succeeded in restricting their opponents to 167 for nine in the allotted 30 overs. Returning the figures of five for 29 off six overs, he was chiefly responsible for limiting Lahore Amar Cables, who lost seven wickets for 49 runs after a solid start. Leg-spinner Zafar Ali (2-29) also bowled well for the home side. 

Chasing a target of 168 in 30 overs to claim the trophy, Karachi Gold Bridge Media lost wickets at regular intervals and were unable to get on top of the bowling. Aamir Iqbal (30 off 51 balls) turned out to be the topscorer with Khalid Zubair (26 off 19 balls) and Kamran Hussain (21 off 43 balls) also threatening briefly. 

The middle-order succumbed to the leg-spinning duo of Rehan Rauf (3-21) and Akbar Ali (3-24) as Karachi Gold Bridge Media was bowled out for 118 in 28.5 overs. Off-spinner Jamshed Ali (2-17) also played his role in bringing about the collapse.

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