Bits and Pieces

New Al Habib stun Omar CC to reach KG Ramazan semis

By our correspondent

KARACHI: New Al Habib stormed into the semi-finals of the Omar Associates Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Twenty20 as they stunned the star-studded Omar Cricket Club by 22 runs in the second quarter-final here at the Karachi Gymkhana on Monday.

Put into bat, New Al Habib managed 155 for six and then bowled out their fancied opponents for 133.

Opener Arsalan Farzand, adjudged Man of the Match, held the New Al Habib innings together with 57 off as many balls. Fine bowling by the left-arm spinning duo of Zulfiqar Babar and Hasan Khan, who returned the identical figures of two for 25, prevented brisk scoring.

Omar CC were the favourites to run away with the game when they started the chase, but their batsmen, with the exception of Khurram Manzoor (42 off 39 balls), failed to come to terms with the well-directed bowling. Left-armer Azam Hussain (3-22) and off-spinner Haris Ayaz (2-23) sent them tumbling out of the competition.

Advance Telecom and New Al Habib have now qualified for the semi-finals.

In the third quarter-final, Dollar East will take on Friends Cricket Club on Tuesday (today) and Tapal Cricket Club will be pitted against Karachi Gymkhana on Wednesday (tomorrow).

SNGPL record third successive victory in Corporate T20

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) recorded their third successive victory when they defeated Brighto Paints by six wickets in the 6th Corporate T20 Cup here at the Moin Khan Academy Ground in DHA on Sunday night.

Brighto Paints posted 112-7 with Raza Ali Dar making 45 with three fours and two sixes. Mohammad Saeed belted 18 with one six, while Imam-ul-Haq and Tayyab Tahir struck 13 runs each.

Haider Ali got 2-14, while Iftikhar Ahmed and Azizullah captured two wickets each.

SNGPL achieved the target in 16.4 overs after losing four wickets. International stumper Mohammad Rizwan made 37 off 34 balls with three fours and one six. Hussain Talat made 29-ball 33 not out, hitting three sixes. Hasnain Shah was the pick of the bowlers with 3-19.

Federer seeks to reignite comeback

bid after Stuttgart stumble

HALLE, Germany: After his comeback was cut short by Tommy Haas in Stuttgart last week, Roger Federer is eager to get a win under his belt in the opening round of the Gerry Weber Open here as the Swiss gears up for another tilt at Wimbledon.

Federer, who was stunned 2-6 7-6(8) 6-4 by 302nd-ranked German Haas, faces Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in his opening game here, a tournament the 18-time grand slam champion has won eight times.

“A comeback is never simple, especially on grass where margins are so slim,” Federer, who sat out the entire claycourt season to prepare his bid for an eighth Wimbledon crown, was quoted as saying by the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com).

“It’s important for me, especially after the Stuttgart week, to come here and make sure I win my first-round match and get going .

“The history I have here, having come and played well so often, definitely should help me to play good tennis this week.

“I want to take the right decisions on the tennis court. I don’t want to question myself too much. I’ll have the right focus and mindset, that point-by-point mentality.”

Canadian Henderson captures fourth crown

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan: Canadian Brooke Henderson tamed strong winds to break out of a logjam and surge to a two-stroke victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic here on Sunday.

Henderson displayed a mix of power and precision to card a bogey-free final round of three-under 66 on the Blythfield Country Club course, which played to a par of 69 over the weekend due to flooding on the third hole.

“I played really steady golf. It’s cool to be able to make those putts under pressure,” Henderson told Golf channel after sinking a three-foot par putt at the last to finish at 17-under 263.

American Lexi Thompson for the second consecutive week was unable to convert a 54-hole lead into victory.

She carded 69 to tie for second with compatriot Michelle Wie (65) at 15-under.

Eight players were tied for the lead at one stage of the final round but Henderson broke clear with three birdies in five holes around the turn.

De Grasse flies to victory in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse breezed to victory in the 100m at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting on Sunday, with a strong wind powering him to a blistering 9.69sec.

The 22-year-old De Grasse, seen as the sprinting heir to Usain Bolt when the great Jamaican calls it quits at the London world championships in August, would have been celebrating a personal best had the wind of +4.8sec not exceeded the permitted limit.

It was a third successive Diamond League win for De Grasse whose personal best remains the 9.91sec he ran to win bronze at last year’s Rio Olympics.

Ivory Coast’s Ben Youssef Meite was second in 9.84sec with Ryan Shields of Jamaica in third on 9.89sec.